HD Korea Shipbuilding signs main contract with Siemens for next-generation marine platform

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai's shipbuilding division, announced Friday that it signed a main contract with global engineering firm Siemens Digital Industries Software on Thursday (local time) to introduce a next-generation marine platform.

The signing ceremony, held in Washington, D.C., was attended by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CEO Kim Hyeong-gwan, Siemens CEO Tony Hemmelgarn, and other executives and officials from both companies.

The next-generation marine platform integrates all shipbuilding processes into a single data model based on AI and digital 3D modeling, enabling the same information to be used at every stage of construction. Through the platform, shipyards can transmit design changes and real-time production status to the shop floor and supply chain, supporting optimal decision-making to prevent schedule delays and quality issues.

As part of the initiative, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering plans to build a virtual shipyard that mirrors its actual facilities, simulating real work processes and equipment operations.

Learning and analytical capabilities are essential to realizing a future physical AI shipyard in which robots and autonomous production equipment carry out tasks independently. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering plans to further develop the next-generation marine platform to establish an autonomous manufacturing system connecting all shipbuilding processes in a digital environment.

"AI is not simply a tool for boosting productivity — it is an innovative technology that redefines the very way the shipbuilding industry operates," CEO Kim said. "We will build a future smart shipyard that combines AI and digital technology, setting a new standard for the shipbuilding industry."

Siemens CEO Hemmelgarn said the company plans to "build a standard blueprint for innovation in shipbuilding by combining Siemens' industrial AI and digital twin technology with HD Hyundai's outstanding shipbuilding capabilities." He added that the partnership would "maximize vessel productivity, quality and work efficiency, while making a significant contribution to strengthening the global shipbuilding industry's competitiveness."

Meanwhile, since HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun took office last October, the group has elevated its dedicated AI organization — which oversees group-wide AI technology development — to report directly to the CEO, accelerating efforts to secure core AI capabilities. Kim Hyeong-gwan was appointed as the inaugural head of the AIX Promotion Office. To accelerate its AI competitiveness, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has established new units under the AIX Promotion Office, including a Software Defined Vessel center.