HII Deepens GrayMatter Ties for AI Shipbuilding Push

MOU Signing Ceremony

HII, America's largest military shipbuilder, and GrayMatter Robotics formalized their collaboration through a memorandum of understanding on April 6, 2026, at GrayMatter's headquarters. The event featured live demonstrations of physical AI robots grinding, blasting, and finishing metal structures, key steps in post-welding workflows. Executives Eric Chewning of HII and Ariyan Kabir of GrayMatter highlighted the partnership's focus on surface preparation, coating, and inspection to boost throughput in shipbuilding operations.

Automation Targets Identified

This agreement marks GrayMatter's initial push into shipbuilding, building on HII's earlier physical AI efforts this year. The robots integrate physical AI models to deliver high-speed, precise performance in demanding tasks, addressing gaps in workforce capacity and production speed. HII plans to pair GrayMatter's tech with other innovations for manned and unmanned vessel construction, including accelerated unmanned system output and specialized workforce training programs.

Industry Capacity Boost

Experts see this as a critical step to fortify the U.S. maritime industrial base amid rising demand for naval vessels. Chewning noted the technology's fit into automated pipelines, while Kabir emphasized bridging demand-capacity shortfalls through autonomous systems in sanding, grinding, and blasting. By deepening ties with robotics firms like GrayMatter and Path Robotics, HII positions itself to scale structural production efficiently, potentially reshaping labor-intensive shipyard processes.

Expansion Plans Ahead

Following the April 6 ceremony, HII and GrayMatter committed to joint research on fusing physical AI with emerging shipbuilding tools, including the newly introduced HYPR program. This initiative leverages both companies' technologies alongside Path Robotics to drive production at scale. Further demonstrations and integration pilots are expected soon, with workforce upskilling to support broader adoption across HII's facilities.