How HD Hyundai and Palantir Are Pushing AI Assistance into Fleet Management

Today’s construction equipment already runs on software. That software can collect lots of data, which is a good/bad situation. Data is good for helping with machine maintenance, operation, and security, but too much unorganized data can be as useless as no data at all. Telematic updates are constantly pinging. Fault codes pile up. Dashboards multiply. Fleet managers can spend too much time hunting for answers without proper data management.

Well, the industry wants to add the next layer: AI that connects the dots and nudges the right decisions at the right time. HD Hyundai keeps catching our collective eye for leaning into this new AI assist. The company has been talking a lot about an AI-driven transformation across its businesses, especially construction equipment. Let’s remember: HD Hyundai owns both the Hyundai and Develon equipment brands. HD Hyundai is investing in the unsexy but essential part of AI: data plumbing. That’s where Palantir enters the picture.

Who is Palantir?

Palantir Technologies is a data analytics and artificial intelligence software company. It’s partially owned by Peter Thiel. Its CEO is Alex Karp. The company builds software platforms that help integrate and analyze large amounts of complex data. I assume the company’s name is a reference to the crystal balls or seeing stones in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. Palantir works with a lot of folks — everyone from government and defense agencies to healthcare and telecom organizations. But lately, Palantir has been making headlines for its work with the U.S. government and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Construction equipment is also a sector primed for Palantir products.

HD Hyundai and Palantir: a data partnership to optimize the fleet  

HD Hyundai has used Palantir’s software in its group since 2021, starting with HD Hyundai Oilbank (the company’s petroleum and refinery company). The latest step: HD Hyundai leadership recently met with Palantir CEO Alex Karp to broaden that partnership across the organization, including affiliates tied to electric systems, robotics, marine services, and other industrial operations, like construction. The deal is reported to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and the construction division is at the forefront. From the press release:

"Recent pilots in HD Construction Equipment and ongoing integration efforts underscore a shared commitment to operational excellence, supply chain synergy, and digital transformation. The partnership also extends to emerging areas such as robotics and electric systems, supporting growth and efficiency across the group."

What will the end result look like? 

Off-highway machinery is a logical place to start when it comes to data analytics and AI decision-making. When I imagine AI and telematics working together, I see a connected, predictive, semi-autonomous fleet. I see production assets instead of standalone machines. Palantir noted it plans to work with HD Hyundai to establish a “Center of Excellence” for two of its biggest products: Foundry (Palantir’s “central platform for data-driven decision-making and situational intelligence”) and AIP (Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform). HD Hyundai noted advanced analytics and artificial intelligence as two major initiatives.

Hyundai Motor Group’s CES 2026 AI robotics is also cool and fun

Let’s zoom out for a second. HD Hyundai isn’t the only Hyundai entity pushing AI. Hyundai Motor Group used CES 2026 to talk up AI robotics with the help of Boston Dynamics. The company focused on “human-centered, artificial intelligence-driven robotics and Physical AI,” according to this press release. Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to mass-produce Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robots to deploy across its global plants. There would be a phased validation starting in 2028. Hyundai also discussed creating a Robot Metaplant Application Center, which would be an AI robotics training and validation hub to help prepare robots for safe deployment.

Here’s another interesting nugget: Hyundai Motor Group also discussed Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS), moving “robotics from one-time sales to subscription-based solutions that lower upfront costs and deliver faster ROI,” said the release.

I saw Hyundai’s AI ambition up close at CES 2024

I walked CES in 2024 and made a beeline for HD Hyundai’s booth. The company showed off a big, immersive vision for smarter jobsites, remote operation, autonomy, and AI-driven coordination of it all. The booth basically demonstrated how machines could connect to a broader system and how operators might interact with that system. Read that story right over here. HD Hyundai teamed up with Amazon Web Services for that display on unmanned and autonomous construction sites. HD Hyundai XiteSolution is a platform that embraces artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and automation. Back in 2024, it was announced that HD Hyundai was working with Amazon to build a connectivity platform for HD Hyundai XiteSolution's smart construction equipment. Hyundai has a few irons in the fire when it comes to AI. I’ll keep you updated.