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HD Hyundai President Chung Ki-sun, center, poses with Palantir Technologies Chief Operating Officer Shyam Sankar, left, and GE Renewable Energy's Offshore Wind CEO Jan Kjaersgaard at Mandalay Bay South Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, after a press conference for CES 2023, Wednesday (local time). Joint Press Corps |
Shipbuilding giant declares 'Ocean Transformation' at world's largest tech show
By Park Jae-hyuk
LAS VEGAS ― HD Hyundai is set to join hands with the world's leading companies at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas again this year, so as to continue upgrading its businesses of building autonomous ships and producing green energy, the company's president said Wednesday (local time).
"We've established a big data platform for the shipbuilding business with Palantir and pushed ahead with setting up a joint venture with the U.S. firm, as a result of our efforts to seek partnerships with various global companies at last year's CES," HD Hyundai President Chung Ki-sun told Korean reporters the day before the grand opening of the world's most influential tech show to be held in Las Vegas from Thursday to Sunday.
"We will take a close look at the global tech trends this year and seek cooperation with the world's best companies," he said, indicating his company's particular interest in artificial intelligence, robotics and eco-friendly technologies.
This is the second time for the HD Hyundai heir to take part in the world's most influential tech show, following his attendance at the event last year. The grandson of late Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung also said his company will show the direction it intends to go for humanity's sustainable future, through its participation in this year's event.
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HD Hyundai President Chung Ki-sun speaks during a press conference for Korean media covering CES 2023 at Mandalay Bay South Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of HD Hyundai |
He made the remarks just after the nation's largest shipbuilding group announced its "Ocean Transformation" vision, during a press conference for the global media covering this year's CES. HD Hyundai vowed at the press conference fundamentally to reframe its perspective and approach on ocean utilization with a focus on sustainability.
"We must find 'new frontiers' of our own, new domains for the continued growth of humanity," Chung said in his opening remarks for the press conference. "For the current generations, we believe that there remains plenty of uncharted areas on this planet ― in fact, 70 percent of it. Our oceans will be the new, blue frontier of our generation, those vast seas of untapped opportunities which present a whole new world of potential for our future."
The HD Hyundai president emphasized that the new vision contains a wholly new approach of interacting with the ocean, which embodies its goal of being a "future builder" ― an initiative it announced at last year's CES.
He added that HD Hyundai will lead the efforts to transform the ocean into a renewable energy source, by using its shipbuilding, oil refining and machinery manufacturing units to produce eco-friendly energies and transport them safely.
Experts from HD Hyundai's subsidiaries also announced the four key visions and goals for the Ocean Transformation vision ― Ocean Mobility, OceanWise, Ocean Life and Ocean Energy.
Kim Sung-joon, chief technology officer of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) Advanced Research Center, came up with the idea of eco-friendly, next-generation digital ships as an answer to ocean sustainability. Hyundai Global Service managers Shim Ji-ae and John Baeck introduced HD Hyundai's marine data solution using artificial intelligence and big data technologies.
Avikus Vice President Carl Johansson shared the blueprints for a safer and freer sea enabled by self-navigating technologies. Kim Yoo-ri, senior researcher of KSOE Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Lab, unveiled the vision for an ocean energy ecosystem envisaged by HD Hyundai.
Palantir Technologies Chief Operating Officer Shyam Sankar and GE Renewable Energy's Offshore Wind CEO Jan Kjaersgaard also participated in the press conference as speakers to affirm their commitment to supporting HD Hyundai's efforts to tap the oceans' potential.