Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Holdings CEO Chung Kisun talks to his cousin Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun at the HHI booth set up for the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group

Korean shipbuilder signs MOU for data platform with Palantir

By Kim Hyun-bin

LAS VEGAS ― Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group, the world's biggest shipbuilder by sales, aims to take the lead in the future shipbuilding industry by introducing the world's first self-driving vessel equipped with autonomous navigation technology within the first quarter of this year, the company said Wednesday (local time).

Logo for Consumer Electronics Show / Courtesy of Consumer Technology Association

"I am proud of the past 50 years of HHI Group, which has laid the groundwork for the growth of the world. In the next 50 years, we will become the world's best 'future builder' and create new growth that is more sustainable, smarter and more inclusive, something we have never seen before," Chung Kisun, CEO of HHI Holdings, said at a press conference, Wednesday, the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC).

The CEO's presentation focused on the visions and goals related to the "future builder" concept and highlighted several key innovative technologies for future growth, including the Avikus autonomous navigation technology, liquid hydrogen transport propulsion system technology, intelligent robotics and solution technology as the group's innovative technologies that will lead its three core businesses of shipbuilding and offshore engineering, energy and industrial machinery. Avikus is the autonomous navigation system development unit of the Korean shipbuilder.

Avikus engineer Joo Hyo-gyeong introduced Avikus' autonomous navigation technology as a core technology that can reduce the possibility of marine accidents and dramatically change maritime logistics and marine resource development.

"Avikus plans to have the world's first self-driving, massive-scale transoceanic voyage by the first quarter of this year. Our mission is to enable fully autonomous navigation to create the safest and most intelligent ships," Joo said.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings CEO Chung Ki-sun introduces the conglomerate's future vision and technology innovations in the shipbuilding sector at a conference held during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Convention Center, Wednesday. Courtesy of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group

"Autonomous navigation technology will be the future of maritime mobility. Innovate logistics and reduce the risk of accidents as well as increase the possibility of offshore development," Chung added.

In order to become a more data-based company, HHI Group said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Tuesday with Palantir Technologies, a global leader in big data analytics, to build a big data platform for its core businesses such as shipbuilding and offshore engineering.

Kim Sung-joon, head of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's (KSOE) Advanced Research Center, presented the maritime hydrogen value chain as a solution to the energy crisis and climate change.

He suggested the green hydrogen production technology and liquid hydrogen carrier as core technologies that will increase the possibilities of the marine hydrogen business, announcing that HHI Group plans to build a 100MW green hydrogen production plant and develop the world's first 20,000-cubic-meter hydrogen carrier by 2025.

Michael Ryu of Clue Insights, a developer of big data-based equipment management solutions for HHI Group, showed the safe and efficient construction site of the future to be realized by the intelligent robotics technology.

Hyundai Doosan Infracore and Hyundai Construction Equipment are planning to commercialize smart construction robots and related platform services by 2025 with the goal of realizing unmanned construction sites.

Hyundai Robotics is also planning to launch service robots for various fields including food, beverage and quarantine, which will make life safer and more abundant utilizing the technologies accumulated in the industrial robotics field.

"We are demonstrating HHI Group's technological capabilities and future vision in the arena of technological innovation of global companies. While looking at the technology trends of global companies, we will actively seek opportunities for business partnerships with them," an official from the group said.