Washington – September 29, 2026 -- LG Group convened a Washington, D.C. policy forum, "Physical AI in America: Robotics, Manufacturing and the Allied Industrial Base," to examine how robotics and autonomous systems are reshaping U.S. manufacturing and supply chain competitiveness.
LG cites NVIDIA partnership as proof point for industrial AI deployment
Ambassador Yunju Ko, President of the LG Global Strategy Center, opened the forum with a fireside chat, pointing to LG's collaboration with NVIDIA as evidence that AI is moving from computing into physical production. The partnership uses NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, Cosmos world models and the open NVIDIA Isaac robotics platform to generate robot training data from LG's manufacturing operations. Simulated processes at LG Electronics' Tennessee appliance factory are being used to train LG CLOiD robots to move, stack and assemble parts for potential deployment at U.S. manufacturing sites.
Ko says AI leadership requires allied-nation partnerships, not solo national efforts
"The future AI race will not be won by any single company or country acting alone," Ko said, adding that trusted partnerships connecting innovation, manufacturing and investment across allied nations will determine long-term industrial resilience.
Panel of industry and policy figures debates U.S.-Korea supply chain cooperation
A panel discussion following Ko's remarks included Jessica McBroom, Director at Micron; Juan Higueros, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Bear Robotics; Tim Del Monico, Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Sam Liccardo; and Martijn Rasser, Vice President for Technology Leadership at the Special Competitive Studies Project. Panelists assessed strengths and gaps in the U.S. AI ecosystem and argued that deeper technology and supply chain cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea would strengthen a resilient, AI-driven industrial base, contingent on supportive policy at scale.
LG has invested more than $20 billion in U.S. operations over the past decade
LG said its cumulative U.S. investment across batteries, advanced manufacturing, electronics and mobility technologies exceeds $20 billion, supporting approximately 20,000 jobs. Ko framed this investment base as the foundation for LG's collaboration with U.S. technology companies on AI, robotics and smart manufacturing, stating LG intends to keep working with U.S. firms "to help accelerate the deployment of AI across real-world industrial applications."