Hyundai plans to buy ‘tens of thousands’ of robots as part of $21bn US plan
7 May 2025 
The Korean car-maker Hyundai has announced plans to buy tens of thousands of robots “in the next few years”, including many from its US subsidiary, Boston Dynamics. Hyundai Motor Group says it will invest $21bn in the US by 2028, with $6bn of this being earmarked to drive innovation and expand strategic partnerships with US companies in areas such as robotics and AI. As part of this investment, it plans to enhance and integrate Boston Dynamics’ manufacturing capabilities with the aim of making it the world’s leading producer of advanced mobile robots.
Hyundai – whose brands include Kia and Genesis – is already using BD’s Spot quadruped robots for industrial inspection and predictive maintenance duties, and plans to deploy BD’s Atlas humanoid machines across its factories in the future.
At the newly-opened Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) site in Georgia, for example, Spot will be used for quality inspection in the weld shop. There are plans to deploy the electrically-powered Atlas humanoid there in the future. The plant, which has taken 2½ years to build, is the largest development project in Georgia’s history.
Hyundai predicts that, by 2028, its $21bn US investment will create 14,000 jobs directly, and more than 100,000 if indirect jobs are included. As well as investing in its own activities, with the aim of creating a production capacity for 1.2 million cars per year, the car-maker plans to:
- collaborate with Boston Dynamics to expand the US ecosystem for robotics components and to establish a mass-production system;
- invest in US start-ups specialising in robotics, AI and mobility; and
- partner with Nvidia to accelerate the development of AI for applications such as robotics and autonomous driving.
Boston Dynamics will work with Hyundai to understand its manufacturing needs better, and areas where its robots could help to boost automotive productivity and efficiency.
At a meeting of more than 800 Boston Dynamics employees last week, Jaehoon Chang, vice-chair of the Hyundai Motor Group, said that Boston Dynamics and robotics AI will play “a crucial role” in achieving the Group’s goals. “Physical AI and humanoid robots will transform our business landscape to the next level,” he added. “Through our collaboration, we will expedite the process to achieve leadership in the robotics industry.”
Boston Dynamics’ CEO Robert Playter told the meeting that “over the course of the past few years, there has been an impressive uptick in new entrants to the robotics space. It is imperative we work together with Hyundai Motor Group to combine our strengths, because the opportunity for advanced robots in the mobility industry is massive.
“We have a phenomenal track record of delivering dependable general-purpose robots,” he added. “Today marks a pivotal moment because with its commitment and support, Hyundai Motor Group will become our biggest customer. It will help us to build successful AI policies, and will also unlock the Group’s vast commercial relationships to help establish strategic customers for products like [the box-handling robot] Stretch, entering into multi-lateral agreements in which we may deliver robots, trucks, and electric vehicles together.”
Goldman Sachs predicted earlier this year that the humanoid robotics market will be worth more than $38bn by 2035.
