CES 2026 Nvidia, Siemens CEOs highlight HD Hyundai's use of digital twin tech

HD Hyundai's use of digital twin technology in ship and shipyard construction was highlighted as a "perfect example" of collaboration between Nvidia and Siemens during a conversation between their CEOs at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Tuesday (local time).

"It's incredible," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in his keynote speech, introducing the Korean shipbuilder’s application of digital twin technology to an entire vessel, modeling it down to "every nut and bolt."

A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical asset that helps reduce costs, save time and mitigate risk through simulations. HD Hyundai has used Siemens' industrial software and Nvidia's graphics technology to create digital twins of its shipyards.

"Talking about what we achieved, I brought an example: HD Hyundai," Siemens CEO Roland Busch said. "They build ships — huge ships — and shipyards, and they use our technology."

Busch emphasized that the technology allows workers to simulate every process involved in shipbuilding.

"You optimize it in the digital world and then you build it," he added.

Huang noted that a digital twin enables users to design every aspect of engineering.

"It's not just the CAD (computer-aided design), but also the computing and electronics," he said. "All of it would be integrated and built into a digital twin."

He added that he hopes the digital twin of a ship will eventually operate in a virtual ocean simulation to test real-world performance.

"Exactly. So we talked about bringing our partnership to the next level," Busch responded.

This was not the first time the Nvidia CEO mentioned HD Hyundai at an international event.

During the 2024 GPU Technology Conference in California, Huang showcased how HD Hyundai used the U.S. semiconductor company's Omniverse platform and Siemens' product lifecycle management software to design its liquefied natural gas carrier, which consists of 7 million components.

HD Hyundai said its digital automated production system manages all data from ship design to manufacturing on a single platform, thus reducing inefficiencies caused by data fragmentation between shipbuilding processes.

"Building smart shipyards and adopting digital twin technology are essential to transforming shipbuilding into a digital and AI (artificial intelligence)-driven industry," an HD Hyundai official said. "We will continue to advance shipbuilding innovation through cooperation with global companies such as Nvidia and Siemens."