LG's AI Robotics Future
LG Electronics Launches CEO-Led Robotics Center, Accelerating Physical AI and Future Growth
Key Points
LG Electronics is expanding collaboration with Nvidia on humanoid robotics and AI data centers, signaling deeper ties with Nvidia as part of its physical AI push.
Song Si-yong will lead the Robotics Business Center; he previously headed manufacturing capability enhancement, production system solutions and smart factory solutions at LG Electronics’ Production Engineering Research Institute, underscoring the unit’s manufacturing and operations emphasis.
LG is building a large-scale robot-training data factory at its Yangjae R&D campus in Seocho-gu, Seoul, with operations planned to begin within this year to support a robot foundation model.
The Robotics Center will include a dedicated in-house actuators production capability, aligning core hardware manufacturing with its data-driven robotics strategy.
LG Electronics launched a new Robotics Business Center on July 1, 2026, reporting directly to its CEO — a rare mid-year restructuring that signals robotics is now a top strategic priority for the South Korean conglomerate. The move came four months ahead of LG's usual year-end organizational cycle, according to Korea Herald and Seoul Economic Daily.
The center will pull together sales, R&D, and manufacturing under one roof. It is led by manufacturing veteran Song Si-yong and will coordinate with LG CNS, LG AI Research, and LG Innotek under what the company calls a "One LG" approach. LG is targeting a humanoid robot market that Goldman Sachs projects will reach $37.8 billion by 2035.
A Data Factory in Seoul Powers the Robot Brain
At the heart of LG's push is a large-scale robot-training data factory at its Yangjae R&D campus in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The facility is designed to house 300 CLOi robots by the end of 2026 to generate real-world motion data, according to Korea Herald. Operations are set to begin before year's end.
LG has built up 770 terabytes of manufacturing data across 31 facilities over 10 years, according to Businesskorea. The company will use that data to train a Robot Foundation Model — think of it as a core AI "brain" that lets robots learn physical tasks. CEO Lyu Jae-cheol reportedly visits the Yangjae site every week to track progress.
Nvidia Partnership Deepens LG's Physical AI Bet
On June 7, 2026, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited LG's Twin Towers headquarters in Seoul to confirm a partnership covering humanoid robotics and AI data centers, according to Let's Data Science. Nvidia's Isaac GR00T foundation model and Jetson Thor chips will power LG's latest robots.
The deal gave investors a boost. LG's stock had fallen 14% on semiconductor fears, but it recovered nearly 8% in a single trading session after the Nvidia partnership was announced. Analysts say the CEO-led structure will let LG move faster and cut through the internal red tape common in large Korean conglomerates, according to Let's Data Science.
Three Robot Frontiers: Home, Factory, and Restaurant
LG is pursuing three distinct markets. At home, it is developing AI-powered domestic robots. In factories, its Robostar subsidiary handles industrial automation. In commercial spaces, Bear Robotics — in which LG acquired a 51% majority stake in January 2025 — deploys food-service robots, according to Bloomingbit.
To support all three fronts, the new Robotics Business Center will include in-house actuator production — the motors that act as a robot's "muscles." LG has been developing motor technology for over 60 years and aims to produce actuators fully in-house this year. The South Korean government has also designated LG as the lead organization for a 34 billion won ($22.3 million) Physical AI research project, giving the company a public-sector boost.
Can LG Catch Up to Tesla and Silicon Valley Rivals?
Not everyone is convinced LG's bet will pay off quickly. Critics say the company is still catching up to firms like Figure AI and Boston Dynamics in terms of raw robotic agility. A live demo of LG's CLOi robot at CES 2026 was publicly criticized for being too slow, according to Guru Focus.
LG also faces competition from Tesla's Optimus robot and Samsung in the "AI home assistant" race. Privacy advocates have raised early questions about how data collected by home robots will be stored and shared across the "One LG" ecosystem. Still, LG's long manufacturing history and deep factory data give it a real advantage in building robots that can work reliably at scale — something pure software firms have struggled to match, according to Seoul Economic Daily.
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