HD Hyundai marked the beginning of APEC 2025 KOREA by hosting the Future Tech Forum: Shipbuilding on October 27 in Gyeongju, Korea. The Future Tech Forum brings together leaders from global industries, government bodies, institutions, and academia to review the current state of key industries and share their future visions. As part of this year’s APEC CEO Summit, forums were held sequentially under the themes of shipbuilding, defense, retail, AI, digital assets, and future energy. HD Hyundai hosted the shipbuilding forum under the theme “Shaping the Future of Shipbuilding,” bringing together over 600 participants—including Chairman Chung Kisun and other HD Hyundai executives, speakers from Huntington Ingalls Industries(HII), Anduril Industries, and Siemens, as well as representatives from the shipbuilding industry, academia, government, and military sectors—to discuss the future of global shipbuilding. Chairman of HD Hyundai Highlights the Need for a Global Innovation Alliance Chung Kisun, HD Hyundai chairman, opened the forum with his keynote speech mentioning that "AI is revolutionizing both maritime sustainability and digital manufacturing," adding, "For all possibilities to come true, we'll need much closer collaboration across industry boundaries — a truly global alliance of innovation." Chung explained that AI-based autonomous navigation technology has already reached commercial application. In 2022, Avikus, an affiliate of HD Hyundai specializing in autonomous navigation, successfully completed a transpacific voyage using its autonomous navigation solution, on an LNG carrier transporting actual cargo. He also noted that AI is being applied not only to vessel operation but also to shipbuilding processes. HD Hyundai is building a smart shipyard powered by digital twin and robotics technologies, aiming to address the shortage of skilled labor while enhancing productivity and safety across its operations. Chung further underscored Korea–US cooperation in the shipbuilding industry, stating, “With all these innovative capabilities, we are fully ready to be a facilitating partner in this American naval renaissance.” Following the keynote, HD Hyundai’s key global partners took the stage as speakers to discuss innovation and collaboration strategies for the shipbuilding industry. The New Era of Maritime Defense John Kim, Head of Anduril Industries Korea, highlighted the growing importance of next-generation defense technologies capable of responding flexibly and swiftly to increasingly complex unmanned threats such as drones and missiles. He pointed out that the traditional defense industry’s complex procurement structures and slow development processes make it difficult to keep pace with evolving battle environments. To overcome these limitations, he stressed the need for an approach that defines problems directly in the field and implements rapid, practical solutions. In practice, Anduril engineers conduct tests not from behind desks but in real operational environments, identifying and fixing issues on the spot to significantly shorten development timelines. This blend of speed, field orientation, and autonomy has positioned Anduril as a prominent player in next-generation defense technology. Guided by this development philosophy, the company has partnered with HD Hyundai to jointly develop unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). Continuing the session, Kim Hyung-taek, HD Hyundai's Research Director in AI & Unmanned Naval Systems, outlined the company’s strategy to lead the next-generation USV market by integrating HD Hyundai’s vessel autonomy with Anduril’s mission autonomy. HD Hyundai’s vessel autonomy has already been applied to more than 200 merchant vessels worldwide, demonstrating proven operational stability and efficiency. Similarly, Anduril’s mission autonomy—which enables multiple unmanned assets to operate together as a single tactical unit—has been validated through US and allied military programs. The integration of these proven technologies is expected to create an unmanned surface vehicle that will redefine traditional manned naval operations and emerge as a game changer in maritime defense. Maritime Industries: Present & Future Patrick Ryan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), presented six core digital technologies driving transformation in the shipbuilding industry: AI, digital twins, smart shipyards, autonomous systems, remote inspection, and robotics. ABS and HD Hyundai are jointly developing an AI-based design support system to efficiently process vast amounts of information generated during ship design and rule verification, enhancing both design accuracy and productivity. In addition, ABS is developing a system that leverages digital twin technology to incorporate real-time corrosion and structural stress data during actual operations into virtual models, enabling predictions of a vessel’s remaining fatigue life and structural integrity. By supporting data-driven decisions on both the timing and scope of maintenance, the system helps minimize unnecessary maintenance and proactively mitigate potential risks—ultimately enhancing vessel maintenance efficiency. Smart shipyard technologies are also evolving to improve on-site safety and information accessibility for workers by using Augmented Reality (AR) and digital work-support systems, while advancing the efficiency and consistency of shipyard operations. ABS further noted that its validation of HD Hyundai’s transoceanic autonomous navigation project confirmed that autonomous technologies can improve both safety and efficiency in real-world operating conditions. In the field of remote inspection, the use of drones and underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to inspect hard-to-reach areas such as ballast tanks and confined spaces of the hull is gaining attention. This approach is expected to enhance worker safety and improve maintenance efficiency. Ryan concluded by predicting that quadruped and humanoid robots will play an expanding role in both shipyards and vessel operations, offering new possibilities for automation and solutions to labor shortages. Following his presentation, Aerin Jungmin Lee, Head of the AI Strategy at HD Hyundai, shared the company’s future vision under the theme “A Sustainable Maritime Industry Powered By Data and AI,” introducing in-house developed AI solutions designed to enhance efficiency and safety—OceanWise, HD Agent, and Myeong-Jang Agent. The OceanWise AI-based navigation optimization solution analyzes actual operational data and external maritime information to automatically determine the optimal route and engine output, shifting the paradigm of ship operation from experience-based to data-driven decision-making. HD Agent, an AI assistant trained in shipyard terminology and processes, provides real-time translation of work instructions, quality checks, and safety training materials into multiple languages, improving communication accuracy and operational efficiency at production sites. Myeong-Jang Agent models the problem-solving expertise of seasoned engineers into AI, offering immediate diagnostic and troubleshooting guidance during ship design and production. This allows skilled technical knowledge to be applied and shared consistently across the organization. Future of Shipyards: AI-Driven Manufacturing Innovation Joe Bohman, CTO of Siemens Digital Industries Software, presented an intelligent manufacturing innovation strategy for the shipbuilding industry centered on AI-based digital twins and the Marine Digital Thread. He pointed out the structural limitations of the traditional shipbuilding process, where design, production, and maintenance stages have long operated in isolation, and emphasized that connecting the entire value chain through a single data flow will be key to future competitiveness. By managing data in an integrated AI-powered digital twin environment, shipbuilders can verify constructability and vessel performance during the design phase, reduce process errors and rework in production, and shorten construction time. During vessel operation, predictive equipment monitoring and optimized maintenance scheduling become possible, enhancing both productivity and quality. Building on its collaboration with NVIDIA, Siemens is also creating a digital environment capable of real-time visualization and simulation of ship design and shipyard operations. This solution aims to accelerate decision-making and improve predictability across shipyard sites. A recently released dedication video by NVIDIA for Korea featured HD Hyundai, showcasing scenes of ship construction and naming ceremonies at HD Hyundai’s shipyards, along with 3D vessel designs produced through Siemens’ collaboration with HD Hyundai. Following this, Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI, identified population decline, aging workforces, and a shortage of skilled labor as key challenges for future industrial sites. As a solution, he proposed humanoids that combine intelligence with physical capability and unveiled the current progress of humanoid robots being jointly developed with HD Hyundai for the shipbuilding industry. Persona AI, in partnership with HD Hyundai, is developing humanoid robots specialized for welding operations in shipyards. To achieve this, the company is analyzing welding movements into detailed action units and collecting human motion data through motion capture. Using this data, thousands of physical simulations and reinforcement learning iterations are being performed to train the robots to maintain balance and execute tasks autonomously in real-world working environments. The humanoid robots jointly developed by HD Hyundai and Persona AI are targeted for deployment at shipyard sites by 2027, and the project is progressing steadily in line with the established timeline. Strategic Collaboration between the US and Korea in Shipbuilding Eric D. Chewning, Executive Vice President of HII, outlined the company’s capabilities in naval shipbuilding and its corporate mission, while announcing plans to expand Korea–US collaboration in shipbuilding. HII, the largest defense shipyard in the United States, operates under the mission to provide the most powerful ships in the world to protect the United States and its allies. The company constructs critical naval assets ranging from destroyers and amphibious ships to aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, maintaining full lifecycle capabilities from design and construction to operation and maintenance. Drawing on these capabilities, HII is working with HD Hyundai to enhance strategic collaboration between the US and Korean shipbuilding industries. The two companies plan to pursue strategic collaboration across four key areas: advancing shipbuilding capacity to meet the increasing demands of the US Navy, jointly developing next-generation naval logistics ships, sharing design and engineering R&D as well as operational standards, and cooperating on lifecycle support of naval vessels in the Indo-Pacific region.  

▶ Assumed the role of the 16th Chairman at the 21st Construction Equipment Day event. ▶ “I will focus on enhancing the manufacturing competitiveness of domestic companies in Korea to support their expansion into international markets and boost exports.” Moon Jae-young, President of HD Construction Equipment, has been appointed as the 16th Chairman of the Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (KOCEMA). He assumed this position during the 21st Construction Equipment Day event, which took place at the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday, the 1st. The event was attended by approximately 200 representatives from the domestic construction machinery industry, including Na Sung-hwa, the Director General of Industrial Supply Chain Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ahn Chun-yeop, Chairman of the Korea Construction Equipment Association. Newly appointed Chairman of KOCEMA Moon Jae-young began his career at Hyundai Heavy Industries in 1994 and has held various significant positions, including Head of the Sales Division (Executive Vice President) at HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and Head of the Construction Equipment Business Division (Senior Executive Vice President) at HD Hyundai Infracore. Next January, he is set to take on the role of President and CEO of HD Construction Equipment, which will be established following the merger of HD Hyundai Construction Equipment and HD Hyundai Infracore. In his inaugural address, Chairman Moon Jae-young stated, “As the world’s sixth-largest construction machinery manufacturing powerhouse, Korea has the capability to expand its technology and products globally.” He added, “We will secure future construction machinery technologies that will transform the manufacturing industry paradigm and further enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized parts companies. We are committed to supporting domestic companies in their efforts to expand overseas and grow their exports.” Founded in 1994, the Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association comprises 294 member companies, including seven large corporations (such as HD Construction Equipment), 13 mid-sized companies, and 274 small and medium-sized enterprises. The association conducts research, develops policies, and provides technical training to advance the domestic construction equipment industry.

South Korean conglomerate HD Hyundai sees an opportunity to accelerate America’s shipbuilding revival by deploying artificial intelligence.   HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the group’s shipping unit, said the use of AI can bridge the two nations’ strengths — marrying South Korea’s manufacturing expertise with US computing power to modernize American shipyards. South Korea is seeking to deepen its strategic relevance and position itself as an alternative to China. (See original article below)   AI Opens Faster Path to Trump Shipbuilding Goal, HD Hyundai Says