Recently, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HD Hyundai Robotics, and other major subsidiaries of HD Hyundai Group signed the "Business Agreement for AI Technology Development Cooperation in the Shipbuilding and Offshore Industry" with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and the University of Ulsan. The agreement aims to strengthen industry-academia-research collaboration in areas such as the development of specialized AI foundational models for the shipbuilding and offshore industry, the construction of a data ecosystem, the cultivation of professional talent, and the revitalization of regional industrial ecosystems. Together, they plan to establish a "Shipbuilding and Offshore AI Super Gap Alliance." In particular, they will focus on nurturing "AI + Shipbuilding" integrated professionals, with an emphasis on cultivating practical, "plug-and-play" talents who can be immediately effective in industrial settings.
HD Hyundai Group and UNIST proposed converting data that integrates core technologies and experience in the shipbuilding and offshore fields into "digital national strategic assets," which will serve as critical resources for maintaining South Korea's global competitiveness in shipbuilding. UNIST stated that the institute has taken the lead in establishing AI-based advanced research and educational infrastructure through initiatives such as establishing the AI Graduate School and NOVATUS Academia and launching AI CEO courses. This foundation lays the groundwork for collaborating with HD Hyundai Group to secure a competitive edge in AI for the shipbuilding and offshore industry and strengthen global competitiveness in the AI field.
Specifically, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has digital transformation needs in areas such as "AI-based ship design and engineering automation" and "building smart shipyards," while UNIST possesses AI research and educational infrastructure and has accumulated advantages in AI technologies that address practical field challenges. However, there remain structural limitations in expanding the application of industrial AI. Due to differences in data formats and quality across companies and insufficiently prepared security systems, industrial data faces significant restrictions in AI learning and on-site validation.
To address these issues, UNIST and HD Hyundai Group have decided to jointly develop standards for the comprehensive utilization of industrial data. According to the agreement, the parties will expand cooperation toward building systems for collecting and supplying industrial data and enhancing security and governance environments to protect industrial secrets. Additionally, they will cultivate practical AI talents who can immediately adapt to on-site needs. UNIST plans to focus on nurturing "AI + Shipbuilding" integrated professionals and expand educational and research programs aimed at developing "plug-and-play" talents for industrial settings.
Kim Sung-yeop, Head of UNIST's Industrial AI Promotion Team, emphasized, "To maintain a super gap amidst the rapid pursuit of China's shipbuilding industry, South Korea's shipbuilding sector needs to establish an industrial AI research institute with the participation of the government, academia, and industry. Ulsan is the optimal choice for technology validation and field application models."
Park Jong-lai, President of UNIST, stated, "Through AI-based innovation, we will enhance the competitiveness of South Korea's key manufacturing industries and contribute to the advancement of industries in the Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province regions, as well as to the balanced development of the country."
