Hyundai Motor Group is ramping up efforts to develop Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in collaboration with Microsoft.
Hyundai’s independent entity for urban air mobility in the U.S., Supernal, plans to use Microsoft’s high-performance cloud platform for developing advanced future aviation solutions, including autonomous flight, 3D flight simulation, and virtual manufacturing/services.
Supernal aims to speed up the commercialization of future aviation mobility based on strategic partnerships with several global companies, including this collaboration with Microsoft.
The cooperation between Supernal and Microsoft will encompass a wide range of areas, including essential cloud-convergence solutions and digital operating frameworks required for innovative future aviation mobility.
Initially, Supernal will apply Microsoft’s AI-based high-performance flight simulation platform, ‘Project AirSim,’ from the early stages of development to create autonomous flight solutions, with plans to conduct joint test flights and verification projects thereafter.
This collaboration is expected to enable safer and more efficient autonomous flight, and contribute to building an innovative future aviation mobility ecosystem through acquiring data across various environments and situations.
Furthermore, plans are in place to utilize Microsoft’s mixed reality technology, which supports interactions between the real and virtual worlds, for collaboration in areas such as UAM vehicle assembly, maintenance, quality control, and customer experience projects.
Shin Jae-won, Head of AAM at Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal, stated, “Developing vehicles based on safety is crucial for pioneering the advanced aviation mobility market, and through this partnership with global IT leader Microsoft, we will be able to predict and validate various variables, leading to the development of safe and innovative autonomous flying vehicles and the establishment of a future aviation mobility ecosystem.”
Yuriyk Homan, Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud/AI division, remarked, “Urban air mobility is a vital area for future mobility innovation, and with Microsoft’s advanced IT, Supernal will be able to more effectively develop and verify vehicles and systems. Ultimately, we hope to contribute to building and commercializing the future aviation mobility ecosystem.”
Supernal participated in last year’s Farnborough Airshow, the second-largest airshow in the world, where they unveiled the interior concept model of their eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing) vehicle, currently under development for a target commercialization goal in 2028.
Hyundai Motor Group aims to start UAM services in the U.S. through Supernal in 2028 and plans to commercialize RAM (Regional Air Mobility) vehicles after 2030.
To achieve this, they are actively building collaboration frameworks by entering into agreements with various partners, including Rolls-Royce, a UK aircraft engine manufacturer, Urban Airport, a vertiport startup, EPS, an aircraft battery manufacturer, Safran, a French aerospace company, and Indonesia’s New Capital Authority.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr