Secures 180 Billion Won Investment from KDB Industrial Bank and KY PE
Strengthening AI Robotics Solutions and Global Market Expansion
HD Hyundai Robotics, the robotics-specialized affiliate of HD Hyundai, has successfully secured a large-scale investment, accelerating the development of next-generation robotics technology based on artificial intelligence (AI).
On October 24, HD Hyundai Robotics announced that it had signed an investment agreement totaling 180 billion won with KDB Industrial Bank and private equity fund manager KY PE. Through this agreement, the two institutions have acquired a 9.1% stake in HD Hyundai Robotics. With this investment, the company's corporate value has been assessed at 1.8 trillion won, marking a nearly fourfold increase from the 500 billion won valuation it received in 2020 when it secured a 50 billion won investment from KT.
HD Hyundai Robotics explained that its 40-year track record as the leading player in the domestic robotics market, along with its competitive edge in AI-based automation solutions, were key factors behind this successful investment. KDB Industrial Bank led the investment to strengthen the competitiveness of the robotics sector, which is considered a national strategic industry.
The secured funds will be used for the development of a 'Physical AI'-based Robot Foundation Model (RFM), global market expansion, and future investment resources. The company plans to introduce a 'welding automation solution' applicable to shipyards by next year, and to launch industry-specific AI robotics solutions for manufacturing, logistics, and other sectors by 2030.
Additionally, in June this year, HD Hyundai Robotics unveiled the 'HDC Series,' a hybrid collaborative robot that combines industrial and collaborative robots. Recently, the company also began developing a quadrupedal humanoid robot for the shipbuilding industry in collaboration with German company Neura Robotics. Kim Wansu, CEO of HD Hyundai Robotics, stated, "This investment marks an important milestone for securing the company's future growth engines and enhancing our global competitiveness. We will drive innovation at industrial sites with AI-based next-generation robotics solutions and actively target overseas markets."
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