HII is expanding its use of physical AI in shipbuilding through a new collaboration with GrayMatter Robotics, targeting faster production and improved throughput.
The partnership will explore AI-driven robotic systems for surface preparation, coating, and inspection — tasks that are typically labor-intensive and critical to shipyard operations.
At the center of the effort is GrayMatter Robotics’ “Factory SuperIntelligence” platform, which connects robots, data systems, and human operators into a unified production environment, enabling real-time visibility and continuous optimization.
The system is designed to improve consistency, reduce rework, and scale operations across sites, while maintaining governance and security standards suited for defense applications.
“We are extremely excited to partner with GrayMatter Robotics to explore incorporating their state-of-the-art physical AI models into our shipbuilding operations,” said Eric Chewning, HII’s executive vice president of maritime systems.
He added that the partnership is expected to support continued throughput growth, accelerate US Navy shipbuilding, and integrate AI-driven manufacturing into HII’s production processes without compromising quality.
The move builds on HII’s earlier collaboration with Path Robotics, which focused on deploying AI-enabled welding and automation technologies to expand shipyard production capacity.
