UNIST Launches Full-Scale Research on AI Transformation for Shipbuilding… Begins Development of Shipbuilding-Specific Mega-Industry AI
Published2026.04.13 15:45
Development of AI based on shipyard data and promotion of field demonstration
UNIST announced on the 12th that it was finally selected as the lead research institution for a project in the shipbuilding sector in the Ministry of Science and ICT's 'Mega-Industry AI Research Support Project' open call. A total of 40.3 billion won will be invested in this project. It consists of 28.5 billion won in state funding, 2.5 billion won from Ulsan City, and 9.3 billion won in corporate contributions, and will proceed with both research and development and industrial field demonstration.
This consortium is led by UNIST and includes HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Crowdworks. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering are responsible for providing design, production, and quality data accumulated at shipyard sites, as well as verifying the developed technologies by applying them to actual sites. Crowdworks is responsible for building and refining large-scale industrial data and developing training datasets.
The research team plans to develop a multimodal-based ultra-large AI foundation model that learns from different forms of information together, such as design drawings, work instructions, field footage, and sensor data. Based on this, we promote the automation and optimization of core tasks in the shipbuilding industry, such as ship design and production planning.
Researchers from UNIST’s Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence, the Department of Industrial Engineering, the Department of Computer Engineering, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the UNIST Future Strategy Institute are participating in the project. The initiative plans to proceed through a convergence research framework that combines the university’s AI research capabilities with data from the shipbuilding industry and technology from specialized data companies.
The shipbuilding industry is considered a sector that is cautious about data sharing due to its inherent characteristics. Nevertheless, this project is significant in that it establishes a structure to simultaneously pursue research and demonstration based on core data from the industrial field. If the research proceeds as planned, it is expected to serve as a catalyst for accelerating the AI transition of the domestic shipbuilding industry.
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