The Navy is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on artificial intelligence systems that it says will speed up key shipbuilding processes.
In one case, AI cut the painstaking process of submarine schedule planning—planning how the many construction pieces will fit together and ensuring that people, parts, and yard space are available at the right time—from hours to just minutes.
The Navy is launching a new Shipbuilding Operating System (Ship OS) to overcome decades-old shipbuilding problems rooted in outdated technology and work practices. The service announced a $448 million investment on Thursday, saying it will accelerate the adoption of AI and autonomy across its industrial base.
Ship OS technology leverages Palantir's foundry and artificial intelligence platform and began with a pilot program at the submarine shipyard.
General Dynamics Electric Boat, a longtime submarine yard in Connecticut, has dramatically reduced the time it takes to manually plan submarine schedules from 160 hours to less than 10 minutes. Additionally, at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, submarine materials review time has been reduced from weeks to less than an hour.
The $448 million investment will go toward a subsea industrial base, which will be expanded subsequently. Palantir said in a press release that it will be deployed at two major shipyards, three public shipyards and 100 suppliers.
General Dynamics Electric Boat, a shipbuilding company that tested AI pilots, saw a significant reduction in the time it took to schedule submarines. U.S. Navy photo by John Narevski.
“This investment will provide our shipyards, yards and suppliers with the resources they need to modernize their operations and meet our nation's defense requirements,” Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said in a statement.
“By enabling industry to deploy AI and autonomy tools at scale, we are helping the shipbuilding industry improve schedules, increase capacity, and reduce costs,” he added. “This is about doing business smarter and building the industrial capabilities our Navy and nation need.”
The Maritime Industrial Base Program, a Navy effort to revitalize America's shipbuilding and repair capabilities, and Naval Sea Systems Command are overseeing the implementation of the Ship OS. The companies are collecting data from multiple sources to identify where problems exist in submarine shipbuilding, how processes including engineering can be sped up, and what specific risks can be mitigated through technology.
Problems in the Navy's undersea industrial base, from shipyards to repair shops, have been accumulating for decades. Submarines are central to the war in the Pacific and a top priority for the Pentagon, but major programs such as improved Virginia-class submarines and new Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines have repeatedly suffered delays and cost overruns.
The Government Accountability Office, a government watchdog, has documented long-standing problems with the Navy's submarine purchase and construction program, as well as deficiencies at the shipyard, including inexperienced workers, aging facilities and equipment, and a lack of construction space.
The introduction of new Ship OS features aims to address some of these issues facing U.S. submarine shipbuilding. And the Navy said that once the technology is used in its submarine program, it will apply the lessons learned to its surface ship program.
