BERLIN — Siemens and South Korea's HD Hyundai are expanding their partnership to develop digital shipyard technologies under a low-triple-digit million-dollar agreement, as the companies seek to help shipbuilders improve productivity and meet growing global demand.

Under the agreement, HD Hyundai will adopt Siemens' Xcelerator software portfolio to connect engineering, manufacturing, suppliers and shipyard operations through a single digital platform.

“AI is not merely a tool for improving productivity, but a transformative technology that is reshaping how ships are designed, built and operated,” said H.K. Kim, president & CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. 

"By integrating AI, digital twin and automation technologies into a connected digital shipyard environment, we aim to establish a future-ready model for the shipbuilding industry," he said. 

“To build the world’s most advanced vessels, shipbuilders must manage enormous complexity across millions of components,” said Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens AG. 

He said that by connecting data, software and automation across the shipyard, the two companies are building the operating system for industrial AI – helping shipbuilders increase capacity, improve quality and reduce rework.

As part of the initiative, the companies will support the establishment of a US-Korea Shipbuilding Technology Cooperation Centre in Washington, DC, to promote collaboration among government, industry and technology stakeholders on digital shipbuilding.

The centre will focus on shipyard modernisation, the adoption of digital technologies, and workforce and industrial development to strengthen the competitiveness of the US and allied maritime sectors. — VNS