Hyundai Motor Group announced on Jan. 4 that its U.S. subsidiary Supernal will develop advanced future aviation solutions in cooperation with Microsoft, which has technologies for autonomous flight simulations.
The two sides will promote cooperation in a wide range of fields, including cloud convergence solutions, digital operating systems, and demonstrations, which are essential to realizing future air mobility.
Hyundai Motor Group aims to start UAM services in the United States in 2028 through Supernal, which was established in 2020. It will commercialize regional air mobility (RAM) aircraft after 2030.
Microsoft recently developed Project AirSim, an end-to-end platform for safely creating, training, and validating autonomous agents through simulations. It is a training program that responds to various variables related to aviation such as the effects of weather, temperature and wind on battery life.
Supernal participated in the world’s second-largest Farnborough Air Show in July 2022 and unveiled a concept model of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for the first time. It aims to commercialize the eVTOL aircraft in 2028.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group is looking for global partners related to the future air mobility business. It cut deals with Rolls-Royce, an aircraft engine manufacturer in the United Kingdom; Urban Airport, a vertiport startup; EPS, an aircraft battery manufacturer; Safran, a French aircraft engine company; and the Indonesian New Capital Authority.
