HII has signed long-term performance-based production agreements with GrayMatter Robotics and Path Robotics to accelerate the development and deployment of advanced physical AI automation across U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs, including aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, amphibious ships, future frigates, and unmanned surface vessels. Under the agreements, HII intends to award up to $900 million in shipbuilding work to the two robotics companies over seven years, subject to technology, manufacturing readiness, and performance milestones. The collaboration, part of HII’s High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) Program, aims to establish scalable autonomous production capabilities for welding, grinding, blasting, painting, assembly, inspection, and other fabrication processes. The initiative will progress through development and delivery stages, with technologies undergoing rigorous Navy-grade testing and qualification before being integrated into an autonomous production line.
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“We are committed to making generational investments to develop new shipbuilding capability and to expand capacity,” said Eric Chewning, executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy at HII. “Together, we are defining a new approach to robotics in shipbuilding: automation that can adapt to extreme levels of complexity, mix, and size. This collaboration represents a strategic investment in the future of American shipbuilding – strengthening industrial base resilience, expanding distributed shipbuilding capacity, feeding critical materials to our shipyards and workforce, and unlocking new production efficiencies essential to delivering the Navy’s growing fleet.” The agreements also support HII’s plan to outsource more than 2.5 million hours of shipbuilding work in 2026, a 30% increase from 2025.