Korean Register (KR) and HD Hyundai Samho report that they have completed a joint project on ‘AI-Based Technology Development for Design and Analysis Innovation’.
Carried out over one year under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in June 2025, the project focused on introducing artificial intelligence (AI) technology to shipbuilding operations to establish a more efficient framework for ship design and analysis.
The joint research centred on two core workstreams: an AI-powered optimisation and structural assessment framework for hull support arrangement, and a generative AI service specialised for shipyard design documents.
Conventionally, determining the number and position of hull supports required repeated structural analysis. The project has led to the creation of an AI model capable of performing this process in near real time, enabling users to evaluate multiple arrangements and identify the optimal support configuration.
“This project has demonstrated the real potential of AI to transform how we approach design and analysis at the shipyard. We will continue to broaden the application of AI in practice, with a focus on enhancing design productivity, strengthening engineering capabilities, and advancing our digital transformation,” said Hakmu Shim, HD Hyundai Samho’s Executive Vice President.
In addition, a domain-specific Large Language Model (LLM) service based on generative AI was developed to support the efficient management and retrieval of shipyard design documents. Built in an on-premises environment to meet shipyard security requirements, the tool aims to systematise tacit knowledge and accumulated expertise, giving a wider range of personnel access to specialist-level insights.
“This project marks an important step toward modernising the traditionally labour-intensive processes of shipyard design and analysis through cutting-edge AI,” said Daeheon Kim, KR’s Executive Vice President.
