From July 6 to 10, 2026, members of SORIC participated in a workshop for the Japan–U.S. Joint Research and Development Project on AI Shipbuilding Technologies.

This project is being carried out under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT)’s Technology Development Project Contributing to the Realization of Next-Generation Shipyards through AI Utilization. It brings together universities, research institutes, classification societies, and shipbuilding organizations from Japan and the United States to jointly develop an AI-based production-process simulation platform for shipbuilding robotics.

During the workshop, researchers from the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) visited Japan to exchange technical ideas with their Japanese counterparts. The participants also visited the Fukuoka Shipbuilding and Japan Marine United (JMU) shipyards to investigate practical challenges and opportunities for introducing AI and robotic technologies to improve productivity and reduce labor requirements in shipbuilding.

As a member of the Japanese research team, SORIC is responsible for research and development on digital twin technologies and a robot behavior simulation platform for shipyard environments. Working closely with our U.S. partners, we will develop an AI simulation platform capable of incorporating real shipyard environments and ship hull blocks, contributing to the realization of next-generation AI-enabled shipyards.

SORIC will continue to strengthen international collaboration with universities, research institutes, and industry partners worldwide while promoting research and education on next-generation shipbuilding and ocean engineering through digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

Reference: MLIT, Japan–U.S. Joint R&D on AI Shipbuilding Technologies Launches