Hancom MDS forges partnership with American self-driving tech company Coast Autonomous

By Park Sae-jin Posted : November 12, 2020, 15:17 Updated : November 12, 2020, 15:17

[Courtesy of Hancom MDS]

SEOUL -- To beef up artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicle capabilities, Hancom MDS, the embedded software wing of South Korean comprehensive IT group Hancom, joined hands with Coast Autonomous, an autonomous driving and software company based in California.

Hancom MDS said in a statement on November 12 that the company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Coast Autonomous to jointly create synergy in mobility businesses including autonomous shuttle projects in South Korea. "We will consult with local governing bodies about the adoption of autonomous shuttle buses," a Hancom official was quoted as saying.

Hancom that created "Hangul," a word processing application, in the early 1990s is now a software group that focuses on AI, autonomous driving, robotics and blockchain. Hancom MDS has developed autonomous driving technology platforms. The company introduced an autonomous shuttle at a motor show in 2018 and seeks to create business models based on autonomous shuttle technologies.

The mobility service market in South Korea with a nationwide network of super-fast 5G mobile communication infrastructure is growing rapidly with major technology companies such as LG Uplus (LGU+) and KT, the country's top telecom company, in competition.

In March this year, LGU+ partnered with Chemtronics, a domestic electronics company, to verify a self-driving shuttle service in a residential area in the central city of Sejong, which has been designated as a testbed for smart city platforms. SoCar tested an autonomous shuttle in the southern resort island of Jeju in May using a modified Hyundai electric vehicle to carry customers.
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