Siemens and HD Hyundai have expanded their strategic partnership with a multi-million-dollar agreement to develop a digital shipyard model using industrial software, automation and artificial intelligence technologies.
The agreement, valued in the low triple-digit millions of US dollars, will see HD Hyundai adopt the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio of software and automation technologies across its shipbuilding operations.
The collaboration aims to establish a digital framework linking engineering, manufacturing, suppliers and shipyard operations through a connected data platform. This digital thread will support AI-driven analysis, automated processes and data-based decision-making throughout the shipbuilding lifecycle.
The approach is intended to help shipyards improve production planning, reduce rework and increase visibility across manufacturing processes. The digital shipyard model is designed to support both new shipyard developments and the phased modernisation of existing facilities without interrupting ongoing operations.
H.K. Kim, President and CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said:AI is not merely a tool for improving productivity, but a transformative technology that is reshaping how ships are designed, built and operated.
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. Together with Siemens, we look forward to helping accelerate the digital transformation of shipyards worldwide, while contributing to the modernization and competitiveness of the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
As part of the initiative, Siemens and HD Hyundai will also support the establishment of a US–Korea Shipbuilding Technology Cooperation Center in Washington, D.C.
The centre will provide a forum for collaboration between government, industry and technology organisations on digital shipbuilding technologies. Its activities will include examining shipyard modernisation strategies, supporting the adoption of digital technologies and contributing to workforce and industrial development initiatives in the United States and other partner markets.
Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens AG, said:To build the world’s most advanced vessels, shipbuilders must manage enormous complexity across millions of components.
Through our extended partnership with HD Hyundai, we are creating a scalable blueprint for the digital shipyard of the future, with Siemens Xcelerator at its core. By connecting data, software and automation across the shipyard, we are building the operating system for industrial AI – helping shipbuilders increase capacity, improve quality and reduce rework.
The Xcelerator portfolio will provide tools for data sharing, configuration management, digital approvals, production monitoring and lifecycle traceability across shipbuilding programmes while maintaining design control and manufacturing responsibilities.
