HII has signed seven-year, performance-based production agreements with Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics to develop and deploy automated manufacturing systems for U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs.
HII intends to award the companies up to $900 million in shipbuilding work, contingent on their technology, manufacturing readiness and production performance. The agreements cover work supporting aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, amphibious ships, future frigates and unmanned surface vessels.
The agreements are part of HII’s High-Yield Production Robotics, or HYPR, program, which is focused on applying robotics and artificial intelligence to complex shipbuilding processes.
“We are committed to making generational investments to develop new shipbuilding capability and to expand capacity,” Eric Chewning, executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy at HII, said in a statement. “Together, we are defining a new approach to robotics in shipbuilding: automation that can adapt to extreme levels of complexity, mix, and size.”
The program will proceed through development and delivery stages. During development, Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics will work with HII to develop, test and qualify autonomous production techniques for welding, grinding, blasting, painting, assembly, inspection and other fabrication processes.
The companies will then integrate the technologies into an autonomous production line. HII said the equipment and processes will undergo testing, qualification and oversight to ensure compliance with Navy shipbuilding standards.
If the systems meet cost, schedule and quality requirements, HII will begin sourcing shipbuilding work from the companies during the delivery stage. Production would begin with small steel structures before expanding to larger units and modules.
The approach is intended to supplement HII’s distributed shipbuilding network by moving more fabrication and assembly work outside its shipyards before final assembly.
“For years, we've believed physical AI could fundamentally change manufacturing,” said Andy Lonsberry, CEO and co-founder of Path Robotics. “HYPR is a powerful validation of our vision – that physical AI can scale shipbuilding capacity in one of the world's most demanding production environments.”
Ariyan Kabir, CEO and co-founder of GrayMatter Robotics, said the agreement combines artificial intelligence with autonomous production systems designed to adapt and improve over time.
