Siemens and HD Hyundai sign US shipbuilding digitisation deal

Siemens and HD Hyundai agreed on 23 July to develop AI-based methods to improve shipbuilding processes, with the deal aimed primarily at increasing shipbuilding capacity in the United States.

The agreement between Siemens and HD Hyundai is valued in the low-triple-digit millions of US dollars. It involves using Siemens' Xcelerator digital business platform to provide an overview of engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and shipyard operations.

Siemens said the digital shipyard model could speed production and improve quality across the shipbuilding value chain. The company said the work is intended to help meet demand for greater and more advanced shipbuilding capacity in the United States and other markets, including both full modernisation programmes and staged upgrades.

Siemens and HD Hyundai also said they plan to support the Korea-US Shipbuilding Partnership Centre, which opened in Washington, D.C. on 23 July. Mobile World Live reported that the centre is intended to foster collaboration on digitising shipbuilding, and cited The Korea Times as saying it forms part of a $150 billion investment in the US shipbuilding industry agreed in a 2025 bilateral trade deal between South Korea and the United States.