Choi Moon-keun, center, senior vice president of LG CNS, poses with Ian Ross, right, managing partner of SomeraRoad, and Joseph Oh, CEO of Mastern America, after signing a memorandum of understanding in New York. Courtesy of LG CNS

LG CNS has entered the U.S. building digital transformation (DX) technology market by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SomeraRoad, a U.S.-based real estate investment and development firm, and Mastern America, the U.S. arm of Mastern Investment Management.

The MOU ceremony was held at SomeraRoad's headquarters in New York City, attended by LG CNS Senior Vice President Choi Moon-keun, SomeraRoad Founder and Managing Partner Ian Ross, SomeraRoad Managing Partner Fergus Campbell and Mastern America CEO Joseph Oh.

Under the MOU, the organizations will collaborate on smart real estate initiatives, incorporating DX technologies such as AI, IoT and automation to enhance building management efficiency and user experiences.

The initiative will focus on integrating smart technology into SomeraRoad projects, including hotels, luxury condos and multi-family residential properties in Kansas City, Nashville and other locations. The partnership will also explore implementing DX technology in smart aviation infrastructure to expand and diversify business models.

LG CNS will lead the implementation using its Cityhub Building platform, an integrated system for data collection, facility control and energy management across multiple buildings. Cityhub Building enables centralized monitoring and control of operations, with features to manage equipment and systems globally from a single platform.

For smart buildings, LG CNS provides blockchain-based mobile access cards and digital employee IDs, replacing traditional plastic cards for seamless access to offices and amenities via smartphones. The IDs utilize decentralized ID, or DID, technology for secure authentication and privacy protection.

LG CNS also offers a content management system for managing digital signage in buildings and smart poles equipped with AI-powered sensors to collect real-time city data. These poles monitor traffic, pedestrian flow and environmental conditions, supporting smart city development.

"With demand for smart buildings in the United States on the rise, we plan to expand our smart building DX business nationwide, starting in Kansas City and Nashville and extending to New York and other locations," Choi said.

"We also aim to broaden our efforts to include smart cities as another way of delivering even greater value to our clients across the U.S."