Hyundai Motor Group is strengthening partnership with Singapore focused on research and development (R&D) in hydrogen and manufacturing technologies.
The collaboration was marked by a significant visit from President Yoon Suk Yeol and Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Chung Euisun to Hyundai’s production facility at Singapore’s Jurong Innovation District. This initiative signifies an important step in Hyundai’s strategy to integrate sustainable energy and innovative manufacturing solutions into its operations.
A pivotal aspect of this enhanced partnership involves a memorandum of understanding signed between Hyundai and Malaysia’s Nanyang Technological University during the Singapore-Korea Business Forum. The agreement, witnessed by leaders from both nations and institutions, aims to advance research in hydrogen production technologies. These include Hyundai’s systems that convert plastics and organic waste, like food and sewage sludge, into hydrogen. This technology supports the development of eco-friendly mobility solutions for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, crucial for Singapore’s ambition to reduce reliance on natural gas as a primary power source.
Additionally, the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS), a critical element of Hyundai’s global R&D framework, entered another strategic partnership. This collaboration with Nanyang Technological University and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research focuses on establishing a Corporate Lab to enhance manufacturing technologies using artificial intelligence and robotics.
The HMGICS, located in the Jurong Innovation District, began its research and mass production operations following its completion in late 2023. Park Hyun-sung, vice president and CEO of HMGICS, highlighted the significance of this venture as the first Korean company to join forces with both the Singapore government and a local university in such a manner. The goal is to leverage Singapore’s technological expertise to drive forward innovative and sustainable mobility solutions.
Chung Euisun emphasized the importance of this collaboration in his remarks, outlining how the partnership exemplifies the synergy between Korean innovation and Singapore’s supportive business climate. As the two countries approach the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, they have broadened their cooperative efforts into domains such as digitalization and advanced energy technologies. Chung also pointed out that Korea’s advanced semiconductor and data transfer technologies could play a vital role in enhancing Singapore’s digital economy as both nations pursue their net-zero emission targets.
