Naver Cloud and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (009540.KS) are launching the construction of dedicated cloud infrastructure that will serve as the foundation for AI transformation (AX) in the shipbuilding industry. The two companies plan to jointly build an AI and cloud environment optimized for design and production settings, and to expand its scope to next-generation ship platforms (SDV) and physical AI on that basis.
Naver Cloud and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering announced on the 20th that they signed a "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Physical AI-Based Shipbuilding Business Innovation" at Naver's data center "Gak Sejong" in Sejong City.
"This collaboration between the two companies is significant in that, starting with the construction of an industry-specialized cloud, we will jointly build an AI utilization system across the shipbuilding industry, extending to next-generation ship platforms and shipyard sites," a Naver official said. "Furthermore, we will jointly discover and spread AI utilization models specialized for the shipbuilding industry, creating a new example of AI innovation in the manufacturing industry."
Shipbuilding is an industry that must protect national core technologies while stably managing ultra-large-scale design data and implementing AI-based production environments. To secure global competitiveness, building AI and cloud infrastructure specialized for the shipbuilding industry is emerging as a new key task.
To this end, the two companies will build a graphics processing unit (GPU) infrastructure optimization and private cloud operating environment based on an AI factory. On this foundation, they will establish an AI utilization base at the HD Hyundai group level, and also promote the internalization of AI and cloud operating capabilities through the formation of a joint Center of Excellence (CoE) organization.
They will also collaborate on the joint development of a next-generation ship platform, shipyard site-centered AX, and physical AI technology. The companies plan to jointly design a ship data-based platform and a real-time data processing and control structure, and to discover and verify AI utilization models specialized for the shipbuilding industry using AI vision technology and robot operation platforms, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the future shipbuilding industry.
"As the shipbuilding industry faces the enormous change of global AI transformation, establishing an AI foundation optimized for shipbuilding is more important than anything else," Naver Cloud CEO Kim You-won said. "Together with HD Hyundai, we will build a cloud environment specialized for the shipbuilding industry, and further create an AI innovation model that can be spread across other industries."
"By adding Naver's AI technology to HD Hyundai's database of more than 200 million records in the shipbuilding and offshore fields, we will build an AI ecosystem specialized for shipbuilding," HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CEO Kim Hyung-kwan said. "We will successfully complete the construction of an AI-based intelligent smart shipyard and lead the future ship market."
