Outline of Mobility Cooperation Established Last January
Connection Between SmartThings and Vehicle Infotainment System
Locate Vehicle and Smart Key Using Galaxy Smartphone
Check Vehicle Climate Control and Charging Status in SmartThings App
Samsung Electronics' IoT (Internet of Things) platform 'SmartThings' is expanding to Hyundai Motor Group's SDV (Software-Defined Vehicle). As Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun strengthen their 'third-generation alliance' by leveraging each other's strengths in the future mobility sector, the collaboration between the first and third largest conglomerates in Korea is deepening. The business community evaluates that Samsung and Hyundai Motor are developing into partners based on pragmatism.
On the 25th, Samsung Electronics announced that it signed a 'business agreement for technology partnership and mutual cooperation' with Hyundai Motor Group at its Seoul R&D campus. This concretely revealed the outline of cooperation between the two groups nine months after Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group signed a 'business agreement for Home-to-Car and Car-to-Home service partnership' in January.
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun (left) and Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong attended the Korea-Czech Business Forum held at a hotel in downtown Prague, Czech Republic, on the 20th (local time), and were conversing before the event started. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Samsung and Hyundai Motor, which initiated the connection between smartphones, vehicles, and home appliances, agreed through this partnership to provide customers with vehicle and smart key location tracking functions using the global location solution 'SmartThings Find' technology and AI-based services. The scope of cooperation was specifically outlined in areas such as healthcare, pet care, smart apartment solutions, and SDV integration.
Users can find the location of their vehicles using other nearby Galaxy smartphones without connecting to 4G or 5G networks by using their Samsung Galaxy smartphones. This enables location tracking even if the parking location is forgotten or in the event of unexpected vehicle theft. Additionally, vehicles can be registered in SmartThings automation for customized control, and users can quickly and conveniently check air conditioning control, driving range, and charging status from the quick panel at the top of their Galaxy smartphones.
This collaboration is deepening the close relationship between the two groups, ranked first and third in the business world. Since May 2020, when Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong (then Vice Chairman) invited Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun (then Senior Vice Chairman) to Samsung SDI's Cheonan plant, the alliance between Samsung and Hyundai Motor has become stronger. The two discussed the current status and prospects of electric vehicle batteries such as all-solid-state batteries, strengthened their partnership through technology exchanges and advanced task execution related to batteries, which led to the achievement of an electric vehicle battery supply contract.
The mobility cooperation between Samsung and Hyundai Motor·Kia, which began with batteries, is rapidly accelerating as Samsung Electronics aims to strengthen its automotive electronics business and Hyundai Motor·Kia seeks to gain an edge in electric and autonomous vehicles.
Samsung Electronics plans to supply its premium infotainment (IVI) application processor (AP) 'Exynos Auto V920' to Hyundai Motor vehicles next year. Samsung Display, a Samsung parts affiliate, supplied digital side mirror displays for Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle brand 'Ioniq' series in 2021 and is scheduled to supply OLED panels for next-generation models of the luxury brand Genesis. Samsung Electro-Mechanics provides automotive camera modules for Hyundai Motor vehicles.
The photo is a conceptual image showing the use of Samsung Electronics' Internet of Things (IoT) platform 'SmartThings' through the infotainment system screen installed in Hyundai Motor Company and Kia vehicles. [Photo by Samsung Electronics]
The business community expects that as consumer demand for service levels increases, Samsung and Hyundai Motor, which have felt limitations in the past with vertically integrated large conglomerate business models, will continue more active collaboration. It is analyzed that this cooperation will not only increase the influence of the two groups in the industry but also contribute to strengthening future competitiveness in automotive electronics and SDV.
Jeon Kyung-hoon, CTO of Samsung Electronics' DX Division and Head of Samsung Research, said, "Through cooperation with Hyundai Motor Group, users will be able to experience a convenient daily life that transcends spaces from home to vehicles with 'SmartThings'." He added, "We will expand the 'SmartThings' ecosystem and offer new lifestyles and values to more customers."
Song Chang-hyun, Head of Hyundai Motor·Kia AVP Division, said, "We are very excited to enhance connectivity between vehicles and smartphones through cooperation with Samsung Electronics and to create new value beyond transportation." He emphasized, "We will continue to strengthen cooperation so that Hyundai Motor·Kia customers' mobility experiences become richer."
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