Hyundai Mobis takes its partner-scouting day to Shanghai for the first time, hunting Chinese robotics and physical-AI suppliers

Hyundai Mobis said in a press release on Oct 15 that it held its Mobis Mobility Day in Shanghai on Oct 14, its first open-innovation event in China, inviting local companies, carmakers and investors to discuss robotics and physical AI.

The parts maker had run the event regularly in Silicon Valley since 2022; it said about 300 people attended in Shanghai, including C-level executives of Chinese robotics companies and heads of global investment firms, and that interest was high because Mobis disclosed a humanoid actuator order earlier this year.

The company said it picked Shanghai for the manufacturing base, supply chain and research clusters of the Yangtze River Delta, held follow-up meetings with major companies, and aims to find partners in robotics and semiconductors early, move them through joint proofs of concept and into commercial deals, using its Silicon Valley investment arm Mobis Ventures alongside its Korean strategy team.

The programme included a panel on dexterous hands for physical AI. In MEKAWIRE's coverage, the order Mobis refers to is its January deal to supply actuators for Boston Dynamics' Atlas humanoid, its first robotics customer.