HII and C3 AI Partner to Accelerate US Navy Shipbuilding with AI

HII, America’s leading military shipbuilder, and C3 AI, a renowned Enterprise AI software company, have announced a strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to expand digital technologies and apply artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate shipbuilding throughput at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions.

“Increasing shipbuilding throughput is a critical priority for HII and the US Navy,” stated Chris Kastner, CEO of HII. “We are proud to partner with C3 AI to leverage data and digital capabilities like artificial intelligence in the urgent work of delivering ships to the US Navy.”

Thomas M. Siebel, Chairman and CEO of C3 AI, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership. “C3 AI is proud to team with HII to ensure its vision in maintaining the nation’s maritime industrial dominance through the adoption of next-generation shipbuilding technologies. This collaboration underscores our growing role as a strategic provider to the US government and defense sector,” he remarked. “By deploying Enterprise AI across planning, operations, and the supply chain, we are powering a modern, intelligent infrastructure to ensure America’s edge in naval readiness.”

HII is broadening an existing partnership with C3 AI to integrate AI solutions across its shipbuilding operations, including areas such as planning, operations, supply chain, and labor allocation. These efforts are expected to accelerate production and support the US Navy’s fleet readiness needs. The collaboration will also explore opportunities in uncrewed vehicle production and sustainment.

The initial phase of the partnership involved a six-month Enterprise AI production deployment program at Ingalls Shipbuilding. Shipbuilding teams utilized complex algorithms to adjust and optimize work schedules, demonstrating significant improvements in schedule performance. This successful deployment will now be scaled across HII shipyards.

Initial efforts will focus on leveraging AI to enhance planning and scheduling at HII’s two shipbuilding divisions: Ingalls Shipbuilding, which builds amphibious ships and destroyers for the US Navy; and Newport News Shipbuilding, which constructs US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines for the US Navy.

This alliance marks a significant milestone in the digitization of America’s defense industrial base and reflects the commitment of both companies to strengthening US naval capabilities through innovation.