HII plans to award up to $900 million in shipbuilding work to Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics over seven years to expand physical AI and automation across U.S. Navy shipbuilding programs. The performance-based agreements are part of HII’s High-Yield Production Robotics, or HYPR, program, covering work supporting aircraft carriers, submarines, destroyers, amphibious ships, future frigates and unmanned surface vessels. The agreements are divided into a Navy-grade development stage and a delivery stage, covering automated welding, grinding, blasting, painting, assembly, inspection and other fabrication processes, intended to be combined into an autonomous production line. Technologies must meet Navy shipbuilding requirements and cost, schedule and quality targets before production work expands from small steel structures to larger units and modules. Awards will depend on the two robotics companies meeting technology, manufacturing-readiness and performance milestones. Eric Chewning, executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy at HII, said the collaboration is meant to strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, expand production beyond its shipyards, improve the flow of materials and work to its facilities and workforce, and increase manufacturing efficiency as the Navy expands its fleet. “We are committed to making generational investments to develop new shipbuilding capability and to expand capacity,” Chewning said. Path co-founder and CEO Andy Lonsberry said, “HYPR is a powerful validation of our vision — that physical AI can scale shipbuilding capacity in one of the