Hyundai Mobis (012330.KS) has staged an open innovation event in China following an earlier edition in the United States, seeking partnership opportunities in global mobility and robotics technology.
The auto parts maker said on the 15th that it hosted Mobis Mobility Day (MMD) in Shanghai on the 14th, inviting promising local companies, automakers and investment firms to discuss the direction of robotics and physical artificial intelligence technology.
It was the first time Hyundai Mobis has held MMD in China, after running the event regularly in Silicon Valley. The company said the aim was to identify strong partners with innovative technology early in new business areas such as robotics and semiconductors, and to secure technology development and investment opportunities ahead of rivals. Shanghai has a strong manufacturing base and supply chain capabilities, and is home to a dense research and development cluster known as the Yangtze River Delta.
About 300 people attended, including officials from Chinese automakers, C-level executives from major companies leading the local robotics industry and senior managers at global investment firms. Participants exchanged views on areas of mutual interest, including the humanoid actuator order that Hyundai Mobis disclosed earlier this year.
Hyundai Mobis plans to use MMD as a springboard to accelerate the build-out of a global robotics innovation network. The company is pursuing an open innovation strategy aimed at eventual commercialization, through identifying partners with promising new technologies, validating them via joint or in-house development, and striking strategic partnerships.
To that end, it is building close cooperative ties with leading global companies by drawing on Mobis Ventures, its investment base in Silicon Valley, alongside domestic teams that oversee strategic investment and partnerships.