Kumho Tire has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SUM, a specialist autonomous driving company, to jointly develop and integrate smart tyre and autonomous driving technologies, with a particular focus on heavy-duty and industrial vehicle operations.
Kumho’s Smart Tyre System to Integrate with SUM Autonomous Tech
The signing ceremony took place on March 31, 2026, at SUM’s headquarters in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, and was attended by Kim Young-jin, Head of Kumho Tire‘s R&D Division, and Hyun Young-jin, SUM CEO, alongside senior officials from both companies.
Under the agreement, the two firms will collaborate on applying their combined technologies to unmanned transport platforms in ports and logistics hubs, developing integrated solutions for medium-to-large and heavy-duty special vehicles, running Proof of Concept projects and industrial mobility testbeds, and building data-based safety and predictive systems.
Central to the partnership is Kumho Tire‘s Smart Tyre System, which utilises sensor modules fitted inside tyres alongside wireless transceivers to monitor tyre pressure, temperature, wear, and dynamic load in real time. Beyond providing drivers with live status information, Kumho Tire plans to connect the system’s wear and load data directly to vehicle control functions, such as braking systems on heavy-duty vehicles, to enhance operational safety.
SUM, founded by researchers from Seoul National University’s Vehicle Dynamics & Control Lab, brings full-stack autonomous driving technology to the partnership. The company has showcased its abilities by providing public transport services in intricate urban settings and has recently begun expanding into outdoor logistics for industrial locations, such as ports, mega-hubs, and mega-factories.
“Through this collaboration with SUM, we expect to further advance the smart tyre technology essential for the era of autonomous driving,” said Kim Young-jin. “We will continue to focus our capabilities on developing technologies that lead mobility innovation to strengthen our future market competitiveness.”
Hyun Young-jin added that the partnership would allow SUM and Kumho Tire to implement data-driven driving control and safety technologies to accelerate the commercialisation of next-generation unmanned transport solutions.
