According to Sawyer Merritt on X, Hyundai will supply Alphabet’s Waymo with 50,000 IONIQ 5 autonomous vehicles by 2028, implying a potential $2.5 billion vehicle supply deal at an estimated $50,000 per unit, excluding additional autonomy hardware costs such as cameras and sensors. As reported by Sawyer Merritt, the scale signals an accelerated robotaxi fleet expansion that could lower per-mile autonomous ride-hailing costs and improve utilization economics across Phoenix, San Francisco, and future markets. According to Sawyer Merritt, separating base vehicle cost from sensor and compute stack spend suggests a layered CapEx model for Waymo, where high-volume standardized EV platforms reduce integration time while LiDAR, radar, and onboard compute remain the main margin drivers for suppliers. As reported by Sawyer Merritt, the 50,000-unit commitment creates near-term opportunities for Tier 1s in perception hardware, ADAS ECUs, thermal management, and high-voltage systems, and positions Hyundai’s E-GMP platform as a preferred robotaxi chassis for scalable autonomous operations.

According to The Rundown AI, Elon Musk announced that Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot is targeted for public sale in 2027, highlighting a major milestone for robotics commercialization. The report also notes that Tesla's driverless robotaxis are now live in Austin, showcasing the company's advances in autonomous vehicle deployment. Additionally, Hyundai's push for the Atlas robotics platform faces criticism from unions, indicating workforce tensions amid automation. The coverage also features innovative swarm robots with flower-like movements, pointing to new directions in collaborative robotics. These developments underscore emerging business opportunities and competitive shifts in the robotics and AI-powered automation markets, as reported by The Rundown AI.

According to @ai_darpa, Boston Dynamics will showcase its next-generation Atlas humanoid robot, developed in partnership with Hyundai, at CES 2026 on January 5th. This public debut marks a significant milestone in the evolution of humanoid robotics, moving from early, clunky prototypes to highly agile, AI-driven machines. The new Atlas model is expected to feature advanced artificial intelligence for improved motion control, perception, and real-world task execution, positioning it as a game-changer for industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. The ongoing collaboration highlights the growing trend of integrating AI and robotics for scalable business solutions, signaling lucrative opportunities for companies investing in automation and intelligent robotics (source: @ai_darpa, Dec 23, 2025).

According to Sawyer Merritt on Twitter, Hyundai’s head of its self-driving division, Chang-Hyeong Song, has resigned after attempting to transition the company’s autonomous vehicle technology from a lidar-based system to a vision-only camera AI system. Song’s departure highlights the ongoing debate within the automotive AI industry regarding optimal sensor strategies for autonomous driving. This leadership change could signal challenges for Hyundai's AI roadmap and impact its competitiveness in the fast-evolving self-driving car market, where vision-based AI approaches are gaining traction due to cost savings and advancements in neural network capabilities (source: Sawyer Merritt on Twitter, December 4, 2025).