HII signs production agreements worth up to $900M over seven years with Path Robotics and GrayMatter Robotics

Path Robotics/Autonomous welding cell

HII, the largest US Navy shipbuilder, said it intends to award up to $900 million of shipbuilding work over seven years to Path Robotics, which makes AI-guided welding robots, and GrayMatter Robotics, which automates surface finishing. The work is performance-based: it depends on both firms meeting defined technology, manufacturing-readiness and performance milestones. The aim is to add capacity to Navy shipbuilding by automating labour-heavy steps.

• Scope: fabricating, assembling and outfitting complex ship structures for carriers, submarines, destroyers, amphibious ships, future frigates and unmanned surface vessels.
• $900M is a ceiling across both companies, not a guaranteed award; no split between them was given.
• The deals sit in HII's High-Yield Production Robotics (HYPR) programme.
• A seven-year demand signal lets the robot makers invest in facilities, systems and staff to reach Navy-grade production.