Hyundai Invests $6.3 Billion to Build Robot Factory, AI Data Center, and Hydrogen Hub in South Korea

Hyundai Motor Group signed an MOU with the South Korean government and Jeonbuk State to invest 9 trillion won ($6.3 billion) in the Saemangeum coastal development zone. The centerpiece is a 5.8 trillion won hyperscale AI data center housing up to 50,000 GPUs, scheduled for completion by 2029, which will process data for autonomous driving and humanoid robotics — including Boston Dynamics' Atlas. A separate 400 billion won robotics manufacturing cluster on a 1.12 million-square-meter site will have annual capacity of 30,000 robot units, with construction starting in 2028. The complex also includes a PEM electrolyzer plant for clean hydrogen production and solar power infrastructure. Hyundai framed the project as building the computing backbone for 'physical AI' — embedding intelligence into moving machines rather than limiting AI to software. The investment is part of Hyundai's broader 125.2 trillion won domestic spending plan through 2030. Officials estimate it will generate 16 trillion won in economic impact and roughly 71,000 jobs.