The Navy is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into an artificial intelligence system that it says has sped up key shipbuilding processes.
In one case, the AI cut painstaking processes of submarine schedule planning — mapping out how the many pieces of construction fit together and making sure people, parts, and yard space are available at the right time — from many hours to only minutes.
The Navy is launching the new Shipbuilding Operating System, or Ship OS, as it tries to break out of decades-old shipbuilding problems rooted in outdated technologies and work practices. The service announced a $448 million investment Thursday, saying it will accelerate the adoption of AI and autonomy across the industrial base.
The Ship OS technology is powered by Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform and began in pilot programs at submarine shipyards.
At General Dynamics Electric Boat, a long-time submarine yard located in Connecticut, submarine schedule planning saw a dramatic reduction from 160 manual hours down to under 10 minutes. And at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, material review times for submarines went from taking weeks to under an hour.
The $448 million investment will go toward the submarine industrial base and then expand. It’ll be deployed across two major shipbuilders, three public yards, and 100 suppliers, Palantir said in a press release.
“This investment provides the resources our shipbuilders, shipyards, and suppliers need to modernize their operations and succeed in meeting our nation’s defense requirements,” said Navy Secretary John Phelan in a statement.
“By enabling industry to adopt AI and autonomy tools at scale, we’re helping the shipbuilding industry improve schedules, increase capacity, and reduce costs,” he added, explaining “this is about doing business smarter and building the industrial capability our Navy and nation require.”
Maritime Industrial Base Program, a Navy initiative to revitalize US shipbuilding and repair capabilities, and Naval Sea Systems Command are overseeing the implementation of Ship OS. Both are gathering data from multiple sources to identify where the hiccups are in submarine shipbuilding, how the processes, including engineering, can be sped up, and what specific risks can be mitigated through technology.
Problems in the Navy’s submarine industrial base — from shipbuilders to the repair yards — have been building for decades. Submarines are central to any Pacific fight and a top Pentagon priority, yet major programs like the upgraded Virginia-class submarines and new Columbia-class ballistic missile subs have repeatedly run into delays and cost overruns.
The Government Accountability Office, a government watchdog agency, has documented long-standing problems in the Navy’s plans for purchasing and constructing submarines, as well as shipyard deficiencies such as worker inexperience, aging facilities and equipment, and inadequate construction space.
The introduction of the new Ship OS capability aims to address some of these problems facing US submarine shipbuilding. And once the technology has been used for the submarine programs, the Navy said, it’ll apply lessons and adapt them to surface ship programs.
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