The Decision Point
In March 2025, Hyundai Motor Group announced a $21 billion U.S. investment program focused on EVs, batteries, and mobility innovation.
In August, it followed with another $5 billion commitment.
A key addition: the creation of a Robotics Innovation Hub, envisioned as a U.S. base for design, manufacturing, testing, and deployment with an annual capacity of 30,000 units, according to Hyundai.
Alexander Quinn, Senior Research Director at JLL based in the Bay Area, says Hyundai’s decision could catalyze a robotics cluster where it chooses to invest, depending on the size, including attracting a “very finite group of AI talent.”
“That group is scarce,” Quinn told Standard & Works, “and to the extent Hyundai would bring that talent base to a metro, it could help to create a larger robotics ecosystem.”
Where the hub will be located remains unknown. Hyundai has not specified, and a company spokesperson told Standard & Works there was nothing to add at the moment beyond its press release.
JLL’s Quinn said a key decision will be whether Hyundai emphasizes its market base — its existing auto manufacturing footprint — or its resource base — the talent pools for robotics and AI.
“They’re going to have to weigh that balance. Do we keep it as close as possible so we can test our operations and have R&D functions near the manufacturing facility we think will be in the South? Maybe it’s in Atlanta.”
“Or they may say it’s really more core to have R&D close to the resource talent, and that might lead them more toward Boston, the Bay Area, or somewhere else.”
To map the possibilities, Standard & Works spoke with site selectors, robotics experts, and economic development officials to game out scenarios.
Auto South
If Hyundai emphasizes robotics to support its auto manufacturing operations, the South is the likely choice.
The region already anchors Hyundai’s U.S. production network:
The $7.6 billion Metaplant outside Savannah — the largest economic development project in Georgia history.
A Hyundai facility in Montgomery, Alabama, operating for 20 years.
A Kia plant in West Point, Georgia, launched in 2006.
An EV battery facility with SK On opening in Bartow County, Georgia in 2025.
A new steel mill in Louisiana, part of the March announcement.
The South tends to win on what Didi Caldwell, CEO of Global Location Strategies, said in an interview with Standard & Works are the three major operating costs that move the needle: "payroll, logistics and energy, which is natural gas and electricity."
While costs in the South are rising, “they’re still competitive,” Caldwell said.
R&D North
If Hyundai prioritizes autonomous driving, robotics R&D, and proximity to AI talent, then Michigan or Pittsburgh could be strong candidates.
Hyundai has operated a R&D center in Ann Arbor since 1986, which houses its North American design, technology, and engineering division.
“They have a lot of historical expertise and institutional knowledge there and have a relationship with the University of Michigan,” Caldwell said.
"But that doesn't mean they're going to implement the technology that is developed there in a plant in Michigan. They may, but it may be cheaper for them to implement it in Georgia, for example."
There’s also talent: Detroit has over twice the national average concentration of robotics engineers and technicians, the fourth-highest in the country, according to JLL Research.
Maureen Donohue Krauss, President of the Detroit Regional Partnership, reinforced the case:
“The Detroit Region’s robotics ecosystem is the national leader for intelligence and innovation. We are home to Fanuc, the world’s leading supplier of robotics, who continues to expand and invest in the Detroit Region, as well as several K-12 and higher education programs focused on robotics. Michigan is a prime location for robotics companies looking to grow or expand their footprint.”
Boston (and Bay Area) Dynamics
Hyundai could also align with its robotics affiliate. The company acquired a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics in 2021. At a town hall in April 2024, the companies announced plans to expand U.S. robotics manufacturing.
Boston Dynamics is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, near Boston, and maintains an office in Mountain View, California, where Hyundai’s innovation group is also located.
Boston and the Bay Area offer significant talent pools — but locating in either means competing in crowded markets where demand for robotics and AI workers is already intense.
Pittsburgh on the Rise
Emerging markets like Pittsburgh could benefit from those workforce dynamics.
“To the extent you can capture sufficient talent in a smaller market, you’re less likely to see it poached,” JLL’s Quinn told Standard & Works.
Robotics technician jobs in Pittsburgh are growing at twice the rate of Detroit, and the region ranks among the top 10 for senior AI talent, according to JLL Research.
“Pittsburgh is poised to be the physical AI leader of the world and any company that is looking to grow a physical AI footprint, such as what Hyundai is doing, must shortlist Pittsburgh,” said Joanna Doven, executive director of Pittsburgh’s AI Strike Team.
Among Pittsburgh’s advantages, according to Doven:
Hyundai autonomous driving joint-venture Motional has a footprint
Autonomous trucking company Aurora started and scaled there
Carnegie Mellon will be opening a Robotics Innovation Center next year
Pittsburgh is significantly lower cost than other technology hubs – and offers a better quality of life
“If you want to do hard things in physical AI like what Hyundai wants to do,” Doven added. “You do it where AI is real and where there is significant robotics talent.”
In a statement to Standard & Works, Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development Rick Siger also underscored the Commonwealth’s credentials:
“Since day one, the Shapiro Administration has been focused on making Pennsylvania a leader in innovation, manufacturing, and other advanced technologies like robotics – whether that be through investing in new site development, expanding skilled workforce training, or improving government efficiency so businesses can get to market faster.”
Another dynamic to watch: During his U.S. visit this year, President Lee Jae Myung joined Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at Philadelphia’s Navy Yard, where South Korean conglomerate Hanwha is investing in shipbuilding – underscoring deepening industrial ties between the country and Pennsylvania.
The Uncertainty Factor
Hyundai’s U.S. expansion program recently faced turbulence. The ICE raid on its Georgia factory has raised questions about the stability of its investment plans – and the South’s advantage.
Governor Brian Kemp said he does not believe the raids will deter investment in Georgia, and Hyundai has resumed plans to expand the plant where the raids took place. But GLS’ Caldwell warned the episode has “sent a chill through the investment community.”
South Korean President Lee also noted, as reported by the BBC, that sending workers overseas to help set up factories is standard practice for Korean firms. “If that’s no longer allowed, establishing manufacturing facilities in the U.S. will only become more difficult,” he said.
“Companies like certainty and don’t function well with uncertainty,” Caldwell told Standard & Works. “Economic developers are frustrated and demoralized. They’ve been extremely successful recruiting projects like this – and now something like this happens.”
S&W’S TAKE
Hyundai’s decision will be a signal moment in U.S. robotics site selection.
Picking the South would deepen the region’s role as a manufacturing base, while a choice like Boston, the Bay Area, Michigan, or Pittsburgh would elevate talent markets competing to anchor the industry. Between those options, the company would be choosing whether to compete in established markets or catalyze an emerging ecosystem.
Wherever it lands, the hub is poised to shape how regions position themselves in the race for robotics and AI investment — and redraw parts of America’s industrial map.
