HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Partners with Siemens to Build AI-Based Next-Generation Smart Shipyard

Signed Main Contract with Siemens for 'Next-Generation Marine Platform'
Digital Integration of All Processes from Design to Commissioning

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for the shipbuilding division of HD Hyundai, is joining forces with Siemens to build an artificial intelligence (AI)-based next-generation smart shipyard. The goal is to connect all processes, from ship design to maintenance, through a digital platform, thereby realizing an autonomous manufacturing system and accelerating the digital transformation of the shipbuilding industry.

On the 23rd (local time), HD Hyundai signed a main contract with global engineering company Siemens for the introduction of the "Next-Generation Marine Platform" at the opening ceremony of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center (KUSPC) held in Washington, USA (from left: Kim Junggwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Kim Hyungkwan, CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering; Tony Hemmelgarn, CEO of Siemens; Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce). HD Hyundai

On the 23rd (local time), HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering announced on July 24 that it had signed the main contract with Siemens Digital Industries Software for the introduction of a Next-Generation Marine Platform. The signing ceremony, held in Washington, DC, was attended by Kim Hyeonggwan, CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Tony Hemelgun, CEO of Siemens, as well as executives and stakeholders from both companies.

The core of the Next-Generation Marine Platform is the integration of all processes—from ship design, production, and supply chain management, to quality control and maintenance—into a unified 3D model data set using AI and digital technologies. This enables the use of the same information at every stage.

Through this system, shipyards will be able to transmit design changes and current process statuses to the production floor and supply chain in real time, allowing for optimal decision-making to prevent schedule delays and quality issues.

In this process, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering plans to build a virtual shipyard that mirrors real-world shipyard operations to simulate actual work processes and equipment management.

Furthermore, to realize the future physical AI shipyard, the Next-Generation Marine Platform will be further advanced, and an autonomous manufacturing system will be established by digitally connecting all shipbuilding processes, from design to production, logistics, inspection, and commissioning.

Tony Hemelgun, CEO of Siemens, commented, "By combining Siemens' industrial AI and digital twin technologies with HD Hyundai's outstanding shipbuilding operation capabilities, we plan to create a standard blueprint for innovation in the shipbuilding industry. This collaboration will not only maximize ship production and quality, as well as work productivity, but will also greatly strengthen global competitiveness in shipbuilding."

Kim Hyeonggwan, CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, stated, "AI is not just a tool to increase productivity—it is an innovative technology redefining the way the shipbuilding industry operates. By building a future smart shipyard that integrates AI and digital technologies, we aim to establish a new standard for the industry."

Meanwhile, following the appointment of Chairman Jeong Ki-seon last October, HD Hyundai elevated its dedicated AI organization to report directly to the CEO, accelerating efforts to secure core AI technologies for the group. Kim was appointed as the inaugural head of the AIX Taskforce.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.