Hyundai Motor Company, the global mobility innovator, and Unity, the world’s leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content, announced at CES 2022 a partnership to jointly design and build a new metaverse roadmap and platform for Meta-Factory.
The companies held a virtual Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Youngcho Chi, President and Chief Innovation Officer of Hyundai Motor Group, Hong Bum Jung, Senior Vice President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Global Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS), Jules Shumaker, Senior Vice President, Revenue, Create Solutions, Unity and Dave Rhodes, Senior Vice President of Digital Twin, Unity, participating.
Through this MOU, Unity becomes a strategic partner to Hyundai, supporting its vision of becoming the leader in future mobility solutions. The MOU pertains to the fields of smart manufacturing, AI training and study as well as autonomous driving simulation.
The partnership will realize Hyundai’s vision of becoming the first mobility innovator to build a Meta-Factory concept, a digital twin of an actual factory, supported by a metaverse platform. The introduction of a Meta-Factory will allow Hyundai to test-run a factory virtually in order to calculate the optimized plant operation, and enable plant managers to solve problems without having to physically visit the plant.
The partnership will also culminate in a real-time 3D and virtual platform which will reach a broad group of Hyundai customers, offering them a more comprehensive range of services across sales, marketing, and customer experience. Meaning, consumers will now be able to trial, test, and engage various auto-related solutions digitally, long before choosing which to transfer to physical vehicles.
Hyundai plans to first apply the Meta-Factory concept to the HMGICS facility, supporting the Group’s initiative to create an open innovation hub for research and development.
Due to be completed at the end of 2022, HMGICS will study many advanced technologies and mobility services. At HMGICS, Hyundai and Unity’s partnership will further accelerate innovation in the field of intelligent manufacturing, integrating AI, 5G, and other advanced technologies into a next-generation smart factory platform.
“HMGICS will become a manufacturing innovation “game-changer” through this world-class Meta-Factory collaboration”, said President Chi, “And HMGICS will lead the future innovation by introducing various technologies that will transform mobility paradigm through human-centered value chain innovation.”
Beginning with the MOU, Hyundai, and Unity will seek ways to expand the partnership in order to realize breakthrough innovations in metaverse-based digital twin factory, while also expanding collaborating in the fields of AI training and study as well as autonomous driving simulation. Hyundai will also continue to pursue active partnership opportunities with other global partners such as Microsoft in order to further accelerate the advancement of smart factories.
“Real-time digital twins will permanently change how we live, work, shop, and make a positive impact on our planet, representing a significant component of what is often referred to as the metaverse,” said John Riccitiello, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Unity. “Hyundai’s vision for the future, including the digital twin of factory operations, represents a significant technological step forward in manufacturing with unlimited potential in its efficiency.”
Prior to the MOU signing, Hyundai shared its vision for ‘Expanding Human Reach’ with robotics and the metaverse at CES 2022 held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, running from Jan. 5-8. At the event, Hyundai Motor is presenting its vision of how robotics will complete the metaverse by connecting the virtual world with reality as a medium, and eventually overcome the physical limitations of movement regarding time and space.
