A major national initiative aimed at bringing artificial intelligence into Korea's shipyards has officially entered full-scale development. 

On May 20, UNIST held a kickoff meeting to share the project's research roadmap, industry partnerships, and plans for field validation across shipbuilding operations.

Backed by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP), the initiative carries a total budget of KRW 40.3 billion (approximately USD 30 million). Its goal is to develop AI foundation models tailored to shipbuilding and apply them directly to industrial operations. 

More than 100 participants attended the event, including UNIST Vice President Hyun Sil Ahn for Research Affairs, executives from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, CrowdWorks, and members of the research consortium. 

The initiative aims to strengthen productivity and competitiveness across the shipbuilding sector by applying AI technologies to design, production planning, manufacturing processes, and operational management. A defining feature of the project is its use of real industrial data and on-site verification through out the research process.

UNIST is leading the overall research effort through its interdisciplinary AI and engineering faculty. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering will provide operational shipyard data and oversee field testing, while CrowdWorks will support industrial data infrastructure and AI training dataset development. 

During the meeting, participating organizations discussed the project's operational framework and strategies for long-term industry-academic cooperation. The consortium plans to build an integrated research ecosystem capable of accelerating AI-driven digital transformation (AX) across Korea's shipbuilding industry.

“Shipbuilding remains one of Korea's most important strategic industries and a key driver of the regional economy,” said Vice President Ahn. "We hope this initiative becomes a meaningful turning point in accelerating AI transformation across the sector and strengthening the industry's global competitiveness."