The government, along with automotive, semiconductor, and autonomous driving companies, will collaborate to accelerate the commercialization of future vehicle technologies. The initiative aims to connect the production capabilities of large corporations with the technological expertise of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while also providing comprehensive support for the transition of internal combustion engine parts manufacturers.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and a corporate meeting on September 30 at the headquarters of Hyundai Mobis in Seoul.
This MOU is the first outcome of the 'Growing Together M.AX Project' promoted by the Industrial Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transition Alliance's Future Vehicle Division. It aims to support companies that have developed technologies but struggle with commercialization due to a lack of mass production experience or collaboration opportunities with demand companies.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan stated, "The global competition in AI is intensifying across all industries, and the automotive sector is no exception. As a massive wave of change approaches, we must boldly ride the wave of transition to a future vehicle ecosystem." He added, "However, second- and third-tier suppliers still lack the capacity, and if we miss this opportunity, the local economies concentrated around internal combustion engine parts manufacturers may suffer. We will prepare detailed support measures to facilitate the transition of the future vehicle parts ecosystem."
The ministry plans to create a comprehensive support package that encompasses research and development (R&D), finance, workforce, productivity, and securing work opportunities, enabling parts manufacturers to transition to future vehicles, robotics, defense, and space industries. The three main tasks include localizing vehicle semiconductors, advancing the era of autonomous passenger and commercial vehicles and robo-taxis, and building a data ecosystem.
On the same day, five agreements were signed, including one for the transition of a mid-sized automaker to future vehicles, three to accelerate the commercialization of vehicle semiconductors, and one to enhance the competitiveness of robo-taxis. Specifically, KGM will collaborate to apply Hyundai Mobis's software-defined vehicle (SDV) technology, currently under development with government R&D support, to Level 2+ vehicles being developed by RideFlux. This partnership aims to enhance autonomous driving competitiveness while providing Hyundai Mobis and RideFlux with practical vehicle application experience for market entry.
In the vehicle semiconductor sector, the collaboration will expand from performance verification by demand companies to joint development and mass production. Hyundai Mobis will specify the semiconductor items and required specifications, allowing small fabless companies to develop products accordingly, while Hyundai Mobis will assess the commercialization potential through performance verification.
LX Semicon will pursue joint development and mass production of sensor and communication chips with Gwanak Analog and Neuratek. The goal is to combine the negotiation power of large fabless companies like LX Semicon with the technological capabilities of small fabless firms to reduce the time and costs associated with commercialization.
LG Electronics, Bosch Semiconductor, and Hanamicro will collaborate on the development of chiplet-based system-on-chip (SoC) technology that integrates multiple chips. LG Electronics will provide the base chip, Bosch Semiconductor will supply the AI chip, and Hanamicro will handle quality verification and packaging of individual chips.
In the robo-taxi sector, Kakao Mobility, SWM, and RideFlux will jointly establish a data-sharing format that reflects sensor locations and performance. When participating in government demonstration projects, they will collect and share data according to this format, prioritizing the review of domestic alternatives for components that currently rely heavily on imports, such as LiDAR, for future trial vehicles.
Four supporting organizations, including the Korea Automotive Research Institute, the Intelligent Automotive Parts Promotion Institute, the Korea Industrial Technology Planning and Evaluation Institute, and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, plan to support the agreements by integrating technology, infrastructure, and workforce to ensure actual business outcomes.
Following the MOU, a corporate meeting was held with participating companies and institutions to discuss opinions. The companies expressed a consensus on the need for inter-company collaboration for the transition to future vehicles and urged the government to maintain ongoing interest and support for the smooth implementation of the MOU. They particularly called for government efforts related to the establishment of a data ecosystem and the commercialization of autonomous driving for robo-taxis, buses, and trucks.
Minister Kim remarked, "Data is a core industrial resource, akin to iron ore, but I have heard that companies are struggling to secure data in the formats and levels they need. As discussions are ongoing within the M.AX Alliance, we will expedite the announcement of the Growing Together M.AX Project in the data sector next month."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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