The Significance of Hyundai Motor’s 50,000 GPUs
"Physical AI": An Orchestra of Cutting-Edge Technology
The Implications of Hyundai Motor’s 50,000 GPUs
"Physical AI" is a term that has gained widespread traction in the financial investment industry following remarks by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Representing the final stage of AI evolution, it refers to the application of AI technology in the real world rather than just the online sphere.
The concept of Physical AI encompasses not only humanoid robots but also autonomous driving (including Urban Air Mobility, or UAM) and factory automation. As a convergence of AI models (the brain), sensors (perception), and mechanical engineering, it is truly an "orchestra of cutting-edge technology."
Unlike language models such as ChatGPT, Physical AI products must learn from video data. Video training requires 10 to 100 times the processing power of language-based models.
This context reveals the significance of the meeting between Jensen Huang (famously associated with the "Kkanbu Chicken" dinner), Lee Jae-yong (Samsung), and Chung Euisun (Hyundai). According to Samsung Securities, the 50,000 units of NVIDIA’s "Blackwell" GPUs that Hyundai Motor Group is set to receive represent a massive processing capacity comparable to Tesla’s data centers.
Tesla currently holds 120,000 GPUs, primarily consisting of the previous "Hopper (H100)" model. However, the processing speed of the Blackwell units Hyundai will possess is four times faster than the H200 (the successor to the H100). For comparison, Huawei’s chips perform at only about one-fifth the level of NVIDIA’s chips.
Moving forward, the automotive industry may split into two groups: traditional manufacturers and Physical AI companies, depending on their data center investment and operational capabilities. This shift explains the recent surge in Hyundai Motor Group’s stock price and its ongoing re-evaluation.
In the domestic stock market, companies related to humanoid robots are receiving the most attention within the Physical AI theme, fueled by expectations that they will ultimately replace human labor. It is worth noting that major conglomerates have already invested in robot companies: Hyundai Motor Group in Boston Dynamics, Samsung Electronics in Rainbow Robotics, and LG Electronics in Robotis.
The "TIGER Korea Humanoid Robot Industry" ETF, which listed on January 6th with an initial 20 billion KRW, achieved a return of approximately 40% in just three weeks, growing to 640 billion KRW in net assets. This suggests that Physical AI will likely secure its spot as a major stock market theme in the first half of 2026.
Other robot-themed ETFs listed domestically include "KODEX Robot Active" and "RISE AI & Robot." The TIGER ETF is composed of pure-play robot stocks like Robotis and Rainbow Robotics. The KODEX ETF includes robot stocks alongside large-cap semiconductor stocks like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. RISE, as the name suggests, also invests in AI-related stocks such as NAVER, LG CNS, and Lunit.
It will still take time before Physical AI products—such as humanoid robots, UAM, and fully autonomous driving—become a part of our daily lives. Along the way, numerous concerns regarding technical flaws, costs, and institutional hurdles will inevitably surface.
However, as the saying goes, "Stocks climb a wall of worry." These anxieties often sustain interest in relevant stocks and bolster the patience of long-term investors.