Vice Chairman Chung Kisun of HD Hyundai: Driving Shipbuilding's Future with AI and Digital Tech

• Strengthening cooperation with global tech companies, including Palantir Technologies Inc. and Siemens
• Building the Future of Shipyard (FOS) by 2030 which aims to minimize human intervention

SEOUL, South Korea, Feb. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- "We are drawing on the latest innovation in AI (artificial intelligence), digital twin, and so much more to transform our shipyards."

HD Hyundai Executive Vice Chairman Chung Kisun emphasized his commitment to building an integrated, optimized, and automated future shipyard that minimizes human intervention, highlighting the company's intention to actively leverage technologies from global tech companies. To achieve this, HD Hyundai is strengthening its cooperation with global leaders, including Palantir, a software company that enables AI-driven decision making, and Siemens, a global industrial solutions provider.

Recently, Palantir released a promotional video on its official YouTube channel on the 26^th showcasing its partnership with HD Hyundai to help digitally transform their shipyards. This video is a full version of what was shown at Palantir's booth during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 (Davos Forum) in Davos, Switzerland this January.

In the video, Executive Vice Chairman Chung Kisun stated "For many decades now, HD Hyundai has been leading the world's shipbuilding industry with the most innovative technologies. Together with Palantir, (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."

Emile Victor, Forward Deployed Engineer of Palantir said "I believe their commitment to leveraging software for operational innovation positions them as a leader in digital transformation within the shipbuilding industry."

The video introduces the blueprint of HD Hyundai's Future of Shipyard (FOS) project, specifically demonstrating how they are applying Palantir's big data software platform, Foundry. FOS is an advanced shipyard project that HD Hyundai has been pursuing since 2021, integrating digital technologies such as data analytics, virtual and augmented reality, robotics, automation, and AI.

This three-phase project aims for completion by 2030. Following the first phase, the "Visible Shipyard", the project is currently in its second phase, "Connected and Predictively Optimized Shipyard." The final phase, "Intelligent Autonomous Operating Shipyard", ultimately aims to minimize human intervention. Upon project completion, productivity is expected to increase by 30%, while shipbuilding time will be reduced by the same rate.

With AI gaining more importance, HD Hyundai is actively strengthening collaborations with global technology leaders while accelerating digital transformation across its business areas by adopting cutting-edge technologies.

Last March, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang captured global attention by showcasing HD Hyundai's Digital Shipyard and LNG Carrier in real-time using advanced graphics technology at NVIDIA GTC 2024. HD Hyundai partnered with Siemens to create a digital twin of large-scale shipyard images using NVIDIA's graphics technology. This project was highlighted as one of NVIDIA's key collaboration cases.

Executive Vice Chairman Chung Kisun has consistently emphasized the importance of digital transformation and has been actively investing in future technologies. He has repeatedly stressed 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."

Meanwhile, HD Hyundai established its Global R&D Center in 2022, centralizing its subsidiaries' research and development capabilities around the Advanced Research Center to secure leading technologies. Following the establishment of the India Technology Center in Pune in 2019, the company opened its European R&D Center in Germany in 2022. Through collaboration with global research institutions, HD Hyundai continues to accelerate the development of next-generation technologies.