KAIST, Samsung Heavy Industries join forces on next-generation shipbuilding R&D

Samsung Heavy Industries CEO Choi Sung-an (center left) and KAIST President Bae Choong-sik (center right) pose for a photo at the opening ceremony of the SHI-KAIST Advanced Maritime Research Center. [KAIST]

KAIST and Samsung Heavy Industries have agreed to collaborate on developing core technologies for the future shipbuilding and maritime industry, as well as training industry-ready specialists.

KAIST said Thursday it held the opening ceremony for the SHI-KAIST Advanced Maritime Research Center (AMRC) at John Haner Hall in the Academic and Cultural Center on its main campus in Daejeon.

The center's launch marks the culmination of an industry-academia partnership between the two institutions that has continued for 32 years since 1995. Building on decades of joint research experience and mutual trust, KAIST and Samsung Heavy Industries will expand their existing collaboration framework into a dedicated hub for developing core technologies in the future shipbuilding and maritime sector.

Centered on the new research center, the two institutions plan to jointly develop key future technologies linked to industry demand — including AI, robotics and eco-friendly solutions — while also working together to translate research outcomes into industrial applications and cultivate specialized talent.

Previously, the partnership had largely operated on a project-by-project basis, with joint research initiated as specific needs or tasks arose. Going forward, the center will serve as a platform for continuously identifying and pursuing medium- and long-term research themes. The shift is expected to allow both institutions to respond more systematically and swiftly to the rapidly evolving technology demands of the shipbuilding and maritime industry.

To secure core technologies for the future maritime industry, the center will pursue joint research across four areas: autonomous navigation and intelligent voyage AI technology, zero- and low-carbon fuel propulsion systems, smart shipyard and digital twin manufacturing innovation, and shipbuilding-specific robotics.

In autonomous navigation, researchers will develop AI algorithms to advance autonomous systems covering situational awareness, optimal route planning and collision avoidance. In the zero- and low-carbon fuel area, the center will research key equipment and fuel supply technologies for vessels running on eco-friendly fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen, in line with the international push for carbon neutrality and the green transition of the shipping and shipbuilding industries.

In the smart shipyard area, the center will develop technologies using AI and digital twin tools to optimize complex shipbuilding processes — including block installation and production management — boosting productivity and quality while cutting costs and energy consumption. In shipbuilding-specific robotics, researchers will work on robotic technologies to automate high-difficulty on-site processes such as welding, painting and inspection, addressing the decline in the working-age population while improving worker safety and production efficiency at the same time.

KAIST President Bae Choong-sik delivers congratulatory remarks at the opening ceremony of the Samsung Heavy Industries-KAIST Advanced Maritime Research Center. [KAIST]

Beyond technology development, the center will also serve as a hub for training the specialists who will lead the future shipbuilding and maritime industry. The two institutions plan to support student research and scholarships using industry-academia cooperation funds, and to expand personnel exchange programs linking industry sites with research labs, with the aim of continuously producing practice-ready researchers who meet real-world industry needs.

"Physical AI — AI that transforms the industrial floor — will determine manufacturing competitiveness," KAIST President Bae Choong-sik said. "The shipbuilding and maritime industry is a prime field where new value can be created through the convergence of mechanical engineering, AI and robotics. I hope this research center will grow into a hub that solves the hard problems facing industry and sets new standards for future technology."

Samsung Heavy Industries CEO Choi Sung-an said he was deeply moved to see 32 years of collaboration with KAIST bear fruit in the establishment of the next-generation ship research center. "We will press harder to secure technological competitiveness and nurture talent in the future shipbuilding and maritime industry, including in autonomous navigation, eco-friendly vessels and smart manufacturing," he said.

nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com