HII and GrayMatter Robotics Sign MOU to Integrate Physical AI Into US Shipbuilding — Targeting 15% Throughput Growth and National Security Objectives
AI / Machine Learning | 4 min read
HII (NYSE: HII), the largest shipbuilder in the United States, and GrayMatter Robotics (GMR) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on 6 April 2026 to explore the integration of GMR's Physical AI into HII's shipbuilding operations. The MOU was signed at GrayMatter Robotics' headquarters in Carson, California, attended by Eric Chewning, HII's Executive Vice President of Maritime Systems and Corporate Strategy, and Ariyan Kabir, GrayMatter Robotics CEO and co-founder. The partnership targets autonomous surface preparation, coating, and inspection technologies — processes that currently require highly skilled manual labour and strict adherence to requirements — and is designed to accelerate throughput, strengthen the maritime industrial base, and augment the shipbuilding workforce. HII's shipbuilding throughput grew 14% in 2025 and the company is targeting an additional 15% increase in 2026. This is the second physical AI deal struck by HII in 2026 — following a February agreement with Path Robotics focused on welding automation.
"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. 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 US Navy shipbuilding production. I look forward to jointly developing autonomous AI-based manufacturing solutions and integrating them into our High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) initiative that leverages physical AI technologies to our shipbuilding processes. Navigating this transformational partnership has the potential to increase our throughput efficiency without sacrificing quality."
— Eric Chewning, Executive Vice President of Maritime Systems and Corporate Strategy, HII
GrayMatter Robotics — Factory SuperIntelligence for Defence Manufacturing
GrayMatter Robotics has processed more than 30 million square feet of surface area across more than 20 industries — including aerospace, defence, shipbuilding, specialty vehicles, and consumer products — and has deployed its robots across more than 20 US states. The company describes its approach as Factory SuperIntelligence: a physical AI architecture combining computer vision, spatial reasoning, motion planning, and factory orchestration to operate robots in semi-structured manufacturing environments, moving beyond fixed, single-task industrial robots toward adaptable systems capable of perceiving and acting across varied assemblies. GrayMatter's platform is built with an air-gapped, edge-deployed architecture that ensures full data sovereignty — critical for defence and enterprise applications where data cannot leave the facility. The partnership with HII represents GrayMatter's first direct foray into shipbuilding. GrayMatter has previously worked directly with the US Navy and its maritime industrial base programme, enabling it to certify and deploy its blasting, coating, and inspection technologies — a qualification pathway that significantly reduces the time required to integrate its systems into HII's production environment.
"GrayMatter Robotics is proud to be leading the charge to bring Factory SuperIntelligence to bolster our national security in this partnership with HII. 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. Bridging that gap between demand and capacity is of utmost importance — right after making sure we are delivering the right quality and consistency, and eliminating the scrap, repair, and rework."
— Ariyan Kabir, CEO and Co-Founder, GrayMatter Robotics
Four Focus Areas, the HYPR Initiative, and the Broader Context
Under the MOU, HII and GrayMatter Robotics will work to identify and potentially pursue opportunities across four areas: 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. GMR's physical AI capabilities will be integrated into HII's High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) initiative — HII's programme for deploying physical AI and digital technologies across its shipbuilding processes to improve throughput without sacrificing quality. HII is currently testing and qualifying both GMR and Path Robotics technologies, with initial paperwork submitted for Path and GrayMatter's qualification process beginning. Chewning described the combination of physical AI startups with HII's shipbuilding expertise as having the potential to "lead to beautiful things." Broader context: the International Federation of Robotics has noted that the US has been slower than Asia to integrate robotics into manufacturing. China, South Korea, and Japan — home to companies including China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean — dominate global ship manufacturing. McKinsey research identifies geopolitical tensions and shifting balances of seafaring power as motivating factors for the US to reinforce domestic shipyard capacity. HII recently acquired a 480,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Charleston, South Carolina to further expand capacity as part of this broader strategic effort.
Key Takeaways
- • HII (NYSE: HII; largest US shipbuilder; EVP Eric Chewning) and GrayMatter Robotics (Carson, California; CEO Ariyan Kabir) signed an MOU on 6 April 2026 to integrate GMR's Physical AI into HII's shipbuilding operations. Focus: autonomous surface preparation, coating, and inspection. HII's throughput grew 14% in 2025; the company targets an additional 15% increase in 2026. This is HII's second physical AI deal in 2026, following a February welding automation agreement with Path Robotics.
- • GrayMatter Robotics profile: 30M+ square feet of surface area processed; 20+ industries served (aerospace, defence, shipbuilding, specialty vehicles, consumer products); deployed in 20+ US states; Factory SuperIntelligence architecture combining computer vision, spatial reasoning, motion planning, and factory orchestration; air-gapped, edge-deployed architecture ensuring full data sovereignty for defence/enterprise operations. Has previously worked directly with the US Navy and maritime industrial base programme, enabling pre-certified blasting, coating, and inspection capabilities. GMR's first direct shipbuilding engagement.
- • Four MOU focus areas: (1) autonomous shipbuilding capability development; (2) integration of GMR technologies with other shipbuilding technology initiatives; (3) workforce training to extend automation; (4) acceleration and scaling of unmanned system production. GMR's physical AI will be integrated into HII's HYPR (High-Yield Production Robotics) initiative — HII's programme for deploying physical AI and digital technologies into shipbuilding processes.
- • Current state of HII shipbuilding automation: HII shipbuilders currently combine advanced digital tools, modernised facilities, and traditional craftsmanship. Welding automation (including cobot welders working alongside humans) is advancing. Tasks such as sandblasting, grinding, and coating remain hands-on, highly skilled, and subject to strict requirements — making them the immediate and practically achievable targets for physical AI integration. HII is testing both GMR and Path Robotics technologies through a formal qualification process before deploying into its shipyards.
- • Strategic context: the US has been slower than Asia to integrate robotics into manufacturing (International Federation of Robotics). China, South Korea, and Japan dominate global ship manufacturing. McKinsey identifies geopolitical tensions and shifting seafaring power balances as motivating US domestic shipyard capacity reinforcement. HII recently acquired a 480,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Charleston, South Carolina to expand capacity. The combination of physical AI startups (GMR, Path Robotics) with HII's shipbuilding expertise is positioned as the key lever for closing the demand-capacity gap in US Navy shipbuilding production.