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HD Hyundai charts sustainable future for shipbuilding at APEC summit
HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun delivers the keynote at the Future Tech Forum: Shipbuilding, held on the sidelines of the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Courtesy of HD Hyundai
By Ko Dong-hwan
HD Hyundai opened the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) events in Korea Monday by presenting a blueprint for the future of shipbuilding in collaboration with global leaders.
The company hosted the Future Tech Forum: Shipbuilding on the sidelines of the APEC CEO Summit under the theme “Shaping the Future of Shipbuilding.”
The event drew more than 600 participants, including HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun and speakers from Huntington Ingalls Industries, Anduril Industries and Siemens, as well as representatives from the shipbuilding industry, academia, government and the military.
In his keynote speech, Chung highlighted the potential for sustainable growth in the shipbuilding industry through innovative technologies and called for greater global cooperation to make it a reality.
“The rapid advancement of AI (artificial intelligence) technology has had a tremendous impact on other key fronts of our innovation — the sustainability of our ships and the digital manufacturing cycle,” Chung said. “For all these exciting possibilities to come true, we’ll need much closer collaboration across industry boundaries — a truly global alliance of innovation.”
He added, “We are fully ready to be a facilitating partner in the American naval renaissance, working closely with leading innovators in this transformative endeavor.”
He underscored HD Hyundai’s AI-driven vision for smart, sustainable shipbuilding and closer cooperation with the United States.
Speakers from HD Hyundai’s global partners shared strategies for innovation and collaboration.
John Kim, head of Anduril Korea, highlighted the need for next-generation defense technologies to counter emerging unmanned threats such as drones and missiles. HD Hyundai and Anduril are jointly developing an unmanned surface vehicle (USV).
Patrick Ryan, chief technology officer of the American Bureau of Shipping, highlights AI, digital twins, smart shipyards, autonomous navigation systems, remote inspection and robotics as key technologies that will drive the industry’s future.
Eric Chewning, executive vice president of Huntington Ingalls Industries, outlined the company’s naval shipbuilding capabilities and announced plans to expand Korea-U.S. cooperation in the sector.
HD Hyundai and Huntington Ingalls plan to explore ways to strengthen the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding capacity and pursue strategic collaboration on projects such as next-generation logistics ships. The two companies also intend to expand joint research and technology exchanges in advanced fields, including robotics and AI, while cooperating on lifecycle support and maintenance systems for naval assets.
The APEC Future Tech Forum serves as a venue for representatives from global corporations, governments, institutions and academia to assess industry trends and share blueprints for the future. HD Hyundai opened the forum as the first corporate host, with sessions continuing through Thursday on themes including shipbuilding, defense, retail, AI, digital assets and future energy.