HII Awards $900M in Shipbuilding Work to Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has announced long-term, performance-based production agreements with GrayMatter Robotics and Path Robotics. The agreements are designed to provide up to $900 million in total shipbuilding work across seven years. Under these agreements, Path Robotics will supply robotic welding technology, while GrayMatter Robotics will offer robotic sanding systems. This collaboration aims to revolutionize shipbuilding processes through advanced automation.

Eric Chewning, HII's executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy, emphasized the company's commitment to generational investments for new shipbuilding capabilities and capacity expansion. He stated, 'Together, we are defining a new approach to robotics in shipbuilding: automation that can adapt to extreme levels of complexity, mix, and size.' This underscores HII's strategic focus on integrating adaptive automation into its shipyards.

Both companies are active participants in the High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) program, which HII launched in April. The HYPR program is designed to accelerate advanced, adaptive automation in the fabrication process of both crewed and uncrewed naval platforms. The performance-based production agreements are a key component of the HYPR program, incorporating collaboration and joint development frameworks that establish governance, program execution, and long-term operational alignment among the companies.

The funding provided under these agreements is contingent upon the companies meeting clearly defined technology and manufacturing readiness milestones, as well as performance metrics, as stated by HII. This ensures that the technologies are ready for deployment and will perform to the high standards required for U.S. Navy shipbuilding.

HII plans to accelerate the development and deployment of physical AI across a range of U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs, including aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, amphibious ships, future frigates, and unmanned surface vessels. This initiative aims to enhance productivity and precision in naval construction.

Andy Lonsberry, co-founder and CEO of Path Robotics, expressed confidence in the transformative potential of physical AI in manufacturing. He noted that the HYPR program is a powerful validation of the vision that physical AI can scale shipbuilding capacity in one of the world's most demanding production environments. This sentiment reflects the broader industry trend towards embracing physical AI in heavy manufacturing.

The agreements consist of two stages: a Navy-grade development stage and a delivery stage. In the development stage, the companies will partner with HII to develop, validate, and qualify high-precision production techniques. These techniques span autonomous welding, grinding, blasting, painting, assembly, inspection, and other fabrication processes. Once validated, these techniques will be integrated into an autonomous production line.

A notable example is Rove, which pairs Path Robotics' Obsidian physical AI model with a quadruped robot to enable autonomous welding beyond fixed cells. This system can deploy directly onto large assemblies and immovable structures in shipbuilding, heavy industry, and construction, significantly expanding the scope of robotic welding.

In the delivery stage, HII will begin sourcing shipbuilding work from both companies through the new autonomous production line, contingent on favorable cost, schedule, and quality performance. This approach augments HII's current distributed shipbuilding strategy, starting with small steel structures and expanding to include units and modules. By 2026, HII plans to outsource more than 2.5 million hours of shipbuilding work, a 30% increase from 2025, while expanding its structural assembly network and enabling more work to be completed outside shipyards before final assembly.

This collaboration between HII, Path Robotics, and GrayMatter Robotics represents a significant step forward in the adoption of physical AI and autonomous systems in shipbuilding. It highlights the potential for robotics to transform traditional manufacturing sectors, offering increased efficiency, safety, and scalability.