Korea Tire's Technology Ranks Among World's Top 3... Tens of Billions Invested Annually in GPU

"From Rubber Technology to Virtual Development, Among the World's Top"
Thanks to the Early Establishment of 'Korea Technodome'
Focus on AI and Data... "Goal of Fully Automated Development"

Key researchers from Hankook Tire & Technology are conducting the Korea Experience Day event on the 16th at Daejeon Korea Technodome. From the left, Gi Kil-jong, Executive Director in charge of RE Development, Gu Bon-hee, Vice President of R&D Innovation, and Jeong Moon-cheol, PCR Model Project Leader. Photo by Hankook Tire

"Hankook Tire ranks around 7th in global sales, but we pride ourselves on being among the top 3 in technology."

On the 16th, Koo Bon-hee, Vice President in charge of Research and Development Innovation at Hankook Tire & Technology, the largest tire manufacturer in Korea, along with key researchers, emphasized this at the Korea Experience Day event held at Daejeon Korea Technodome. This confidence was built over years of leading the development of future tire technologies, including tires dedicated to electric vehicles and ultra-high-performance tires. According to Tire Press's compilation, Hankook Tire ranked 7th in global tire company sales in 2022, with sales of 8.3941 trillion KRW.

Vice President Koo stated, "In the past, we used to visit automakers to promote our products, but now we increasingly receive 'love calls' from major overseas companies and several places including China's BYD. Opportunities for joint projects and collaborative vehicle development have also increased. Unlike before, when we competed by lowering prices during bidding, we have now reached a level where we can win competitions based solely on performance."

The Korea Technodome is the core of Hankook Tire's technological capabilities. The world's first electric vehicle dedicated brand, 'iON,' which has recently received favorable reviews, was also born here. Vice President Koo explained, "Fundamentally, the most important aspect is rubber technology?how light it is while possessing all necessary performance characteristics. Recently, the ability to conduct virtual development through simulations before completing prototypes has also become crucial."

The Korea Technodome is fully equipped with virtual development devices. The driving simulator room is a representative example. It is a space for pre-testing before actual vehicle installation. Data from circuits, vehicles, occupants, and tires are input, and driving is conducted in a virtual environment. Although everything takes place in virtual reality, the driving is performed by physically sitting in a vehicle prepared inside the test room to reproduce subtle steering sensations. The Virtual Compound Design (VCD) system, which predicts the characteristics of compounds (rubber mixtures used in tire manufacturing) using artificial intelligence (AI), has also been a great help. Tire compounds, which mix more than five materials such as natural rubber and synthetic rubber, vary in physical properties depending on various factors including the ratio of each raw material, temperature, tools, mixing order, and pressure. While development can take up to three years, the VCD system has reduced this time by half.

The Korea Technodome has also transformed the research and development culture. Compared to its predecessor, the research and development institute in Jang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, the site area is twice as large and the total floor area is four times bigger. Its futuristic appearance, resembling a spaceship, is the work of Norman Foster, a master of 'high-tech' architecture. With the facilities and spaces in place, the mindset of the members has also changed. Gil Ki-jong, Executive Director in charge of RE Research and Development, emphasized, "Working in an open space has fostered a culture of communication and collaboration. Compared to the past, the organization has become more 'open-minded' as it focuses realistically on immediate tasks and future-preparing projects."

Vice President Koo's goal is to automate all development processes in the future. The annual investment of tens of billions of won in GPUs and CPUs is for this purpose. He explained, "By conducting various research, consultations, and lectures with KAIST, which is the best in AI and data fields in Korea, a culture has been formed where researchers study themselves and immediately apply what they learn. In analyzing and preserving data with AI, we have gained a significant advantage over all domestic companies regardless of industry, and we will continue to develop this further."