Insider Brief
- Fincantieri plans to invest nearly $100 million through 2030 to expand robotics, physical AI and automation across 13 shipyards under its BOOST² – The Shipyard of the Future program.
- The initiative is moving from technology scouting and experimentation into broader deployment, with applications including collaborative robotics, digital twins, smart supply-chain systems, additive manufacturing and automated industrial equipment.
- Fincantieri is also working with startups and other technology partners through its Open Innovation strategy and plans to hold a Dual-Use Hackathon in Silicon Valley to identify technologies for future shipyard applications.
Fincantieri plans to invest nearly $100 million through 2030 to expand robotics, physical AI and automation across its global shipyard network as part of an effort to make shipbuilding more efficient and safer.
According to company, the investment is part of BOOST² — The Shipyard of the Future, an industrial technology program the Italian shipbuilder launched three years ago. Fincantieri said the initiative has involved more than 450 employees across 13 shipyards, including Fincantieri Marinette Marine and its Wisconsin System of Shipyards in the U.S.
The program is now shifting from technology testing toward wider industrial deployment, with Fincantieri working to introduce new systems into day-to-day shipyard operations without disrupting ongoing production.
Physical AI, Digital Twins & Smart Supply Chains
Physical AI is a central part of the effort. Fincantieri is developing collaborative robotics intended to assist workers with complex production tasks while also introducing automation into other parts of shipbuilding.
The company is also working with digital twins along with smart supply-chain systems, additive manufacturing and automated industrial equipment to create a closer link between ship design, production planning and work on the shipyard floor.
CEO and managing director Pierroberto Folgiero said the company sees bringing AI into physical industrial operations as a new area of competition in manufacturing.
“Through BOOST², we have laid the foundations for embedding new technologies into our processes and have already introduced the first solutions into our shipyards,” Folgiero noted. “Today, the challenge is to accelerate their industrial deployment and adoption at scale, turning innovation into greater productivity, safety, and quality. Our ambition is to build the shipyard of the future, where people and intelligent technologies work side by side, further strengthening Fincantieri’s industrial and technological leadership.”
The company reported that the latest phase of the program was presented this week at Fincantieri’s Castellammare di Stabia shipyard in Italy. Earlier work focused primarily on scouting technologies and running experiments, while the next stage will emphasize systems that can be deployed, repeated and scaled across different shipyards.
Open Innovation Strategy
Fincantieri indicated it is also working with outside technology companies through its Open Innovation strategy, including startups and small and midsize businesses. The company said production teams are involved in testing technologies in working shipyards so systems can be adjusted to the particular requirements of shipbuilding before being introduced more widely.
The company is expanding that search for technology partners internationally and Fincantieri said it plans to hold a Dual-Use Hackathon in Silicon Valley later this week to identify technologies that could be applied to its future shipyards.
