Hyundai Motor and Kia unveil Polaris AI manufacturing platform

Hyundai Motor and Kia have introduced ‘E-FOREST Polaris’, a specialized AI agent platform designed to transform manufacturing processes into autonomous operations. Unveiled at the E-FOREST Tech Day 2026, the platform aims to integrate scattered production data, technical documents, and expert know-how into a unified knowledge repository.

The system is divided into two categories: ‘Polaris Factory’, which focuses on production site tasks such as data analysis, troubleshooting, and voice-based support, and ‘Polaris General’, which assists with administrative manufacturing duties by automating repetitive information searches and reporting. The technology is currently being pilot-tested at the Hyundai Ulsan EV plant.

Additionally, the companies announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to develop ‘Virtual Commissioning’ technology. This uses physical AI to simulate robot and equipment movements in a virtual space, accounting for real-world physics like gravity and friction to reduce the need for manual adjustments on actual production lines. The long-term goal is to implement a Software-Defined Factory (SDF) that connects data from vehicle development through to market quality.