HD Hyundai is developing artificial intelligence–powered robots capable of performing shipyard tasks autonomously, part of the South Korean shipbuilder’s drive to create a fully digitalised “Future Advanced Shipyard” by 2030. According to Korean media reports, the company is using Nvidia’s Isaac Sim simulation platform and Omniverse digital environment to train so-called Physical AI robots in highly realistic virtual conditions before deploying them on the yard.

Unlike the collaborative robots currently used in shipbuilding, which require human operators, the new machines are designed to perceive their surroundings and work independently — starting with welding, painting and plate-bending operations. HD Hyundai says its current development already allows simple welding tasks to be carried out autonomously, and it is the first shipbuilder to adopt the Isaac Sim platform, which is also used by Amazon, BMW and Toyota.

The effort is part of a wider digital-transformation strategy that includes a digital-twin shipyard project with Nvidia and Siemens — praised by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at CES this year — alongside humanoid welding robots developed with Persona AI and collaborative robots from Rainbow Robotics deployed across its yards.

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