South Korean on-device artificial intelligence chip developer DeepX said on Sunday it will unveil a next-generation on-device AI platform developed jointly with the Robotics Lab of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp., signalling progress toward the commercial use of physical AI-based robot intelligence.
The on-device AI controller, built around DeepX’s ultra-low-power DX-M1 semiconductor, is currently in the technical verification stage for mass production. The collaboration is being closely watched as a practical pathway for deploying robot intelligence that operates independently of cloud networks.
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DeepX’s DX-M1 chip has been applied in stages to service robot control platforms since the two sides entered a strategic partnership in 2023. The chip is designed to support high-performance inference with power consumption below 5 watts, meeting key requirements for robot controllers including power efficiency, inference speed and low latency for both indoor and outdoor service robots.
This year, DeepX and the Robotics Lab developed a next-generation controller integrating dual wide-angle and narrow-angle image signal processing cameras with the lab’s vision AI technology. The design enables robots to operate in communication-limited environments such as underground parking areas, subway stations and logistics centres without continuous network connectivity.
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The DX-M1 has also been integrated with the Robotics Lab’s facial recognition system, Facey, and is currently being demonstrated on the DAL-e Delivery robot, enabling functions such as recipient authentication, user identification and customized guidance.
The technology is scheduled to be showcased publicly at the Korea Tech Festival hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy starting Dec. 3, and later at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2026.
The collaboration comes as Hyundai Motor Group accelerates its broader research and development investments tied to future mobility. Last month, the group marked the topping-out of its Future Mobility Battery Campus in Anseong, South Korea, its first dedicated battery research hub, with full completion targeted by late 2026.
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Hyundai also signed a new memorandum of understanding with Michelin to jointly develop advanced EV tire technologies, and inaugurated its €150 million Square Campus at its European technical centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, to expand research capacity for electrification and sustainability.
DeepX and the Hyundai–Kia Robotics Lab said they plan to gradually expand their partnership across manufacturing, logistics, mobility services and smart cities as they seek wider deployment of physical AI-based robot services.
