HII and GMR join forces on physical AI for manned and unmanned shipbuilding

April 7, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

HII and GrayMatter Robotics (GMR) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today to explore the integration of GMR’s Physical AI into shipbuilding operations that could accelerate throughput.

The MOU signing ceremony took place at GrayMatter Robotics’ headquarters and was attended by Eric Chewning, HII’s executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy, and Ariyan Kabir, GrayMatter Robotics CEO and co-founder.

HII and GrayMatter Robotics will work to identify and potentially pursue future opportunities in four areas that include autonomous shipbuilding capability development, integration of GMR technologies with other shipbuilding technology initiatives, workforce training to extend automation, and acceleration and scaling of unmanned system production.

Together with other innovative shipbuilding technologies, GMR would augment the shipbuilding workforce, automate structural production, and accelerate throughput to advance national security objectives. GMR showcased how AI-driven robotic systems are applicable to naval fabrication work, ranging from sanding, grinding, and blasting to coating and inspecting.

“We are in the midst of an American shipbuilding renaissance and we are extremely excited to partner with GrayMatter Robotics to explore incorporating their state-of-the-art physical AI models into our shipbuilding operations,” Chewning said.

“Our shipbuilding throughput was up 14% in 2025 and we are looking for an additional 15% increase in 2026. By working with new partners like GMR we can further augment our workforce and speed up U.S. Navy shipbuilding production.”

“We are partnering with HII to solve difficult problems. We will push to drive down delivery time, build our arsenal, build the essential components for our war fighters, and we have to do this very, very quickly,” Kabir stated.

While welding automation and other AI technologies continue to advance, much of the work remains hands‑on and highly skilled, with tasks such as sandblasting, grinding, and coating that must follow strict adherence to requirements.

AI‑driven technologies offer promising opportunities to support these critical processes by reducing repetitive work and improving consistency to help accelerate delivery timelines and meet the US Navy’s growing demand, HII concluded.