At CES 2026, the world’s largest IT and consumer electronics exhibition held in Las Vegas, Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun quietly met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The meeting took place on the afternoon of the 6th (local time) at the Fontainebleau hotel, lasted about 30 minutes behind closed doors, and is believed to have involved strategic discussions around Nvidia’s newly unveiled autonomous driving platform ‘Alpamayo.’
Alpamayo is a new autonomous vehicle software platform announced by Nvidia one day before the opening of CES. Provided in an open-source format, it is designed to allow automakers to modify and utilize it autonomously. Scheduled for release in the second to third quarter of this year in European and Asian markets, the platform offers traditional automakers a chance to rapidly internalize autonomous driving technology.
For Hyundai Motor Group—long judged to have fallen behind in the global autonomous driving race—Nvidia’s open platform represents a prime opportunity to narrow the technology gap. During his CES visit, Chairman Chung toured Nvidia’s exhibition space in person and exchanged brief greetings with Huang’s daughter Madison, creating a notably friendly atmosphere between the two companies.
Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Jang Jae-hoon also hinted that a concrete collaboration announcement is imminent. When asked at an earlier press briefing about the possibility of working together on Alpamayo, he said, “There are various methods, and the possibilities are open,” adding that the group would soon decide on its strategic direction for autonomous driving.
This is not the first partnership between Hyundai Motor Group and Nvidia. Since last year, the two companies have strengthened strategic collaboration centered on developing physical artificial intelligence (Physical AI) technology. In October 2025, they agreed to jointly invest about $3 billion to establish an Nvidia AI Technology Center and a Hyundai Motor Physical AI Application Center in Korea. Hyundai plans to leverage Nvidia’s simulation platform and AI framework to accelerate innovation in next-generation vehicle development.
Chairman Chung and CEO Huang previously held an unofficial meeting last October with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. This CES meeting is seen as a continuation of that discussion, marking the start of substantive talks on technical cooperation.
As automotive, semiconductor, and AI technologies converge in the autonomous driving market, industry observers are keenly watching how Hyundai Motor Group will concretely realize its collaboration with Nvidia. The autonomous driving roadmap to be announced in the near future is likely to become a significant milestone for both the Korean and global markets after CES 2026.
Photo: Yonhap News
