November 25, 2024

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HD Hyundai Vice Chairman and CEO Chung Ki-sun delivers a keynote speech at the CES 2024 on the Venetian ballroom stage in Las Vegas on Wednesday. (HD Hyundai)

Korea Herald Correspondent

LAS VEGAS -- HD Hyundai's Vice Chairman and CEO Chung Ki-sun declared on Wednesday the company's transition to a technology-driven construction solutions provider, revamping its traditional heavy industry roots, in a keynote speech at CES 2024.

It was the first time that the head of a South Korean company that does not make electronics has delivered a keynote speech at the world's largest tech show.

"Construction equipment has always played a pivotal role in building the bedrock of the world we live in, but it's lagging in innovation. Today, I'm excited to present HD Hyundai's new vision -- the Xite Transformation -- reshaping the construction sector as 'future builders,' to tackle key issues like safety, security, supply chain hiccups, and climate change, and steering humanity toward a more sustainable future," said Chung.

The Xite Transformation initiative encompasses a comprehensive vision for modernizing construction sites, integrating smart, autonomous, and eco-friendly technologies to enhance the entire construction process.

HD Hyundai wants to open the next era of construction through digital safety enhancements, autonomous site management, and a sustainable, decarbonized energy value chain, focusing on intelligent construction sites equipped with digital twins powered by sustainable electricity and hydrogen.

Key to these goals are the X-Wise and X-Wise Xite AI software that Chung announced at the keynote.

“With X-Wise and X-Wise Xite, HD Hyundai will make an evolution from a hardware-based equipment manufacturer to a software-driven solution provider. HD Hyundai is going to lead this transformation by building a new global ecosystem for open innovation, working together with industry-leading partners,” Chung said.

X-Wise will be embedded into HD Hyundai's next-generation products, enhancing safety and efficiency in fleet management and paving the way for full site autonomy. These technologies will empower HD Hyundai’s machinery, such as the Develon line of autonomous construction equipment showcased at CES 2024, to perform sophisticated tasks like predictive maintenance, autonomous operation, and real-time data-driven decision-making.

X-Wise Xite then connects construction equipment equipped with X-Wise in real-time. Functioning like a project management tool, X-Wise Xite coordinates smart machinery on construction sites. For example, an autonomous excavator could be digging a foundation while a few meters away, an uncrewed crane moves materials as needed, all orchestrated by the AI system.

CTO of HD Hyundai XiteSolution, Lee Dong-wook, also came on stage to lay out the company's blueprint for realizing a fully autonomous construction site. This involves combining intelligent construction equipment with X-Wise Xite and introducing environmentally friendly technology, with new hydrogen-powered equipment.

Chung said that HD Hyundai would not excel in AI without partnerships. Google's Vice President Philip Moyer and HD Hyundai's AI Strategy Senior Manager Lee Jung-min presented a joint roadmap leveraging AI and Google Cloud's capabilities. Google’s Gemini large language model run by Google Cloud could utilize sensor data from ships and construction equipment and the extensive computing resources of the cloud to foresee component failures, enabling preemptive maintenance of ships and construction equipment.

The Xite Transformation of the shipbuilding company’s vision follows the Ocean Transformation vision laid out last year, aiming at creating eco-friendly, efficient ships with advanced technologies like digital twinning and autonomous navigation, and enhancing maritime transport through a smart network using real-time data for optimal routing.

By Moon Joon-hyun (mjh@heraldcorp.com)