Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have recently formed a strategic partnership with Infineon Technologies, the world’s top automotive semiconductor company, in order to enhance the performance of electric vehicles and secure the power semiconductor supply chain. The signing ceremony of the power semiconductor cooperation agreement took place at Infineon’s headquarters in Munich, Germany, with the participation of executives from both companies including Kim Heung-soo, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Group Global Strategy Organization (GSO), and Peter Schiffer, President of Infineon Automotive Division.
As part of the agreement, Hyundai and Kia will collaborate with Infineon in technology development, focusing on improving the power performance of their future electric and hybrid models. Furthermore, the companies have committed to sourcing a portion of their power semiconductor needs for electric and hybrid vehicle production from Infineon by 2030.
Infineon, based in Germany, is renowned for its expertise in the automotive semiconductor field, particularly in power semiconductors, microcontroller units (MCUs), and sensor semiconductors. The collaboration with Infineon is expected to bring significant benefits to Hyundai and Kia, leveraging Infineon’s technological competitiveness, track record of mass production, and production scale.
This is not the first collaboration between Hyundai, Kia, and Infineon. Hyundai and Kia have been receiving sensor semiconductors from Infineon since the early 2000s and power semiconductors since the mid-2000s. Additionally, the two companies have operated a power performance research center in partnership with Infineon from 2007 to 2020.
Power semiconductors play a crucial role in electric vehicles, as they convert, control, and distribute power, leading to extended battery life and reduced power consumption. However, the entry barrier for this technology is high, and custom designs are required for each vehicle type, resulting in limited suppliers and production scale.
To address the growing demand for power semiconductors in the expanding global electrification market, Hyundai and Kia have formed this strategic partnership with Infineon to overcome supply uncertainty and secure a stable supply of power semiconductors. Vice President Kim Heung-soo expressed confidence in the partnership, stating that Infineon is a strategic partner with a solid production capacity and differentiated technology in the power semiconductor market. He emphasized that through this collaboration, Hyundai and Kia aim to mitigate mid- to long-term supply and demand risks, ultimately taking a leading position in the global electric vehicle market with competitive products using cutting-edge technology.
This partnership signifies a significant step forward for Hyundai and Kia in their pursuit of sustainable mobility solutions, ensuring a reliable supply of power semiconductors and enhancing the performance of their electric and hybrid vehicles.
▲ Hyundai Motor Company and Kia held a power semiconductor strategic cooperation agreement signing ceremony at Infineon Technologies headquarters in Munich, Germany on the 17th (local time). (From first left) Chae Jeong-seok, Executive Director of the Semiconductor Strategy Office at Hyundai Motor Group, Kim Heung-soo, Vice President in charge of GSO at Hyundai Motor Group, Peter Schiffer, President of Automotive Business Division Infineon, and Peter Schaefer, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Infineon’s Automotive Division. <현대차그룹>
[비즈니스포스트] Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have teamed up with the world’s No. 1 automotive semiconductor company to improve electric vehicle performance and secure the power semiconductor supply chain.
On the 17th (local time), Hyundai Motor Company and Kia signed a power semiconductor strategic cooperation agreement with Infineon Technologies at Infineon’s headquarters in Munich, Germany, with officials from both companies present, including Kim Heung-soo, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Group Global Strategy Organization (GSO), and Peter Schiffer, President of Infineon Automotive Division The signing ceremony was held.
Through this contract, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia intend to cooperate in technology development with Infineon with the aim of improving the power performance of electric vehicles and hybrid models to be released in the future.
In addition, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia decided to receive a portion of the power semiconductor volume needed for the production of electric vehicles such as electric vehicles and hybrids from Infineon by 2030.
Headquartered in Germany, Infineon is considered a leading company in the automotive semiconductor field. It stands out not only in automotive power semiconductors, MCU (microcontroller units), and sensor semiconductors, but also in the industrial power semiconductor business.
Hyundai Motor Company and Kia expect high synergy from collaborating with Infineon in all aspects, including technological competitiveness, proven history of mass production, and production scale.
Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors began receiving sensor semiconductors from Infineon in the early 2000s, and have been receiving power semiconductors since the mid-2000s. He also operated a power performance research center with Infineon between 2007 and 2020.
Power semiconductors are a key component of environmentally friendly vehicles that convert, control and distribute power to extend battery life and reduce power consumption. The technological entry barrier is high and a custom design is required for each type of vehicle, so the number of suppliers and the scale of production are limited.
Hyundai Motor and Kia explained, “With the demand for power semiconductors increasing due to the recent expansion of the global electrification market, we have signed this strategic cooperation agreement to resolve supply uncertainty due to external variables and secure power semiconductors .”
Vice President Kim Heung-soo said at the signing ceremony, “Infineon is a strategic partner with stable production capacity and differentiated technology in the power semiconductor market.” He added, “Through cooperation between the two companies, we will solve mid- to long-term supply and demand risks and take the lead in the global electric vehicle market based on competitive products using new technology.” “We will ensure it,” he said.Reporter Heo Won-seok
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