Gwangju Self-Driving Car Infrastructure and R&D 'Sharing Achievements'

City, Companies, and Institutions to Hold Integrated Workshop on June 9-10
Performance Evaluation Center to Break Ground in August, Completion Set for Next June
Professional Workforce Training... Exploring New Business Opportunities and Collaboration

Gwangju City and Gwangju Future Car Mobility Promotion Agency held the "2025 Project Launch Integrated Workshop" at Sol Beach Jindo over two days from the 9th to the 10th to implement the second-year project of the future car materials, parts, and equipment specialized complex. Photo by Gwangju City

The Gwangju Future Automotive Materials and Parts Specialized Complex project, now in its second year as a nationally designated initiative, is achieving results in autonomous driving infrastructure, research and development, and professional workforce training.

The Gwangju City Government and the Gwangju Future Automotive Mobility Promotion Institute will hold the "2025 Project Kick-off Integrated Workshop for the Second Year Implementation of the Future Automotive Materials and Parts Specialized Complex" over two days, from the 9th to the 10th, at Sol Beach in Jindo.

This workshop aims to present a concrete blueprint for establishing Gwangju as a leading city in the future mobility industry, and to discuss strategies for revitalizing the local economy and strengthening technological competitiveness.

Participants include Gwangju City, LG Innotek, Korea Alps, DH Autoread, SOS Lab Co., Ltd., KT, Enit Co., Ltd., Korea Photonics Technology Institute, Gwangju Regional Headquarters of the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, and Gwangju Regional Headquarters of the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, among others.

On the first day, the 9th, plans for the 2025 (second year) specialized complex project were presented, including: ▲Establishment of a testbed to support autonomous driving safety performance evaluation and certification ▲Research and development (R&D) of materials and parts for autonomous vehicles ▲Plans for professional workforce training for employees in the autonomous vehicle materials and parts sector. Opinions were also gathered from participants.

Choi Myungwook, Senior Researcher at the Gwangju Future Automotive Mobility Promotion Institute, explained the current status of the "Autonomous Driving Safety Performance Evaluation Certification Center." The construction of the certification center began with a detailed design in December last year, followed by three design review meetings and feedback sessions, and the design is expected to be completed this month. After selecting a construction company, ground will be broken in August this year, with completion scheduled for around June next year, at which point full-scale support for companies will begin.

The certification center will be equipped with 21 types of state-of-the-art autonomous driving equipment, including ▲6 types in perception (sensors) ▲4 types in control ▲6 types in communication ▲5 types of autonomous driving evaluation equipment, which are expected to help strengthen the technological competitiveness of local companies.

Participating companies also presented the results of their R&D on autonomous vehicle materials and parts. Yoon Juhun, Principal Researcher at SOS Lab, shared the "Development of a 200-meter Long-Range Lidar for In-Cabin Windshield Mounting in Autonomous Vehicles." Park Cheolgyun, Team Leader at DH Autoread, presented the "Initiation of Development and Patent Application for a Steering Wheel Assembly with Enhanced Safety for Autonomous Vehicle Driving Mode Transition." Ki Songdo, CEO of Enit Co., Ltd., shared achievements in the "Development of Roadside Units (RSU) for Information Sharing between Vehicles and Traffic Infrastructure."

Hwang Chanyeon, Team Leader at the Gwangju Industry-Academia Convergence Institute, presented the "Professional Workforce Training Plan for Employees in the Autonomous Vehicle Materials and Parts Sector." The plan is to systematically train 120 local professionals through employee education programs covering autonomous driving and simulation, AI-based autonomous vehicle parts manufacturing processes, and standards and reliability of autonomous vehicle parts.

On the second day, the 10th, a meeting will be held between participating companies and affiliated institutions. Discussions will focus on the need for ongoing collaboration and project development to utilize the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's support programs for materials, parts, and equipment.

Lee Donghyun, Director of the Future Automotive Industry Division, said, "The Future Automotive Materials and Parts Specialized Complex project is progressing smoothly again this year," and added, "Gwangju City will continue to do its utmost to support local companies in achieving global competitiveness."

Meanwhile, last year, with the launch of the Future Automotive Materials and Parts Specialized Complex project, the city achieved tangible results such as the relocation of the DH Autoware factory (an investment of about 100 billion KRW). In recognition of these achievements, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy selected the Gwangju Future Automotive Materials and Parts Specialized Complex as an "Excellent Complex for 2024."