HD Hyundai leader reaffirms will to build automated shipyard

HD Hyundai Executive Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun has once again emphasized his will to build an automated shipyard that requires minimum human intervention, underscoring the Korean shipbuilder’s willingness to collaborate with tech leaders across the globe.

Palantir Technologies, a global big data firm that partnered with HD Hyundai last year to codevelop uncrewed surface vehicles, on Wednesday released a video on its YouTube channel that shows how HD Hyundai is digitally transforming their shipyards and unlocking a whole new level of productivity and safety in partnership with Palantir.

“For many decades now, HD Hyundai has been leading the world’s shipbuilding industry with the most innovative technologies,” said Chung in the video. “(We are) drawing on the latest innovation in AI, digital twins and so much more to transform our shipyards, unlocking a whole new level of productivity and safety.”

The video explains the blueprint of HD Hyundai’s future of shipyard, or FOS, project, and how the shipbuilder is utilizing Palantir’s software platform Foundry. HD Hyundai began working on the FOS project in 2021 with a goal to complete the mission by 2030.

According to HD Hyundai, productivity is projected to increase by 30 percent upon the completion of the FOS project, while shipbuilding time is expected to be cut by 30 percent by integrating various digital technologies, such as data analytics, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, automation and artificial intelligence, into various facets of the shipyard’s work process.

In March last year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang showcased HD Hyundai’s digital shipyard and liquefied natural gas carrier in real-time as one of the company’s collaboration examples at the AI chip giant’s annual GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, California. HD Hyundai teamed up with Siemens to create a digital twin of large-scale images using Nvidia’s graphic technology.

Chung has continuously underlined the importance of digital transformation, repeatedly stressing his commitment to leading marine mobility technology through electrification, autonomous operation and eco-friendly technologies while building a sustainable energy ecosystem by securing renewable resource utilization and high-efficiency green technologies.