HD Hyundai reveals unmanned vessel Tenebris at Washington's AI Expo

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries unveiled a mockup of Tenebris, an unmanned surface vessel (USV), for the first time at the AI Expo for National Competitiveness held in Washington earlier this week.

Korean Ambassador to the United States Cho Hyun-dong, center, takes a look at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' mockup of Tenebris at the AI Expo held in Washington. [HD HYUNDAI]

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries unveiled a mockup of Tenebris, an unmanned surface vessel (USV), for the first time at the AI Expo for National Competitiveness held in Washington earlier this week.

The exhibition, also known as the AI Expo, comes only 20 days after the Korean shipbuilder signed an agreement to co-develop a USV with Colorado-based Palantir Technologies.

Tenebris, meaning darkness in Latin, is designed to conduct reconnaissance missions covertly near enemy lines. Weighing 14 tons and measuring 17 meters (56 feet) in length, Tenebris is equipped with high-performance hardware and advanced artificial intelligence (AI), according to HD Hyundai.

Based on Palantir's AI platform, Tenebris features an autonomous navigation system and vessel integration systems developed by Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai.

Its performance will be maximized to withstand fluctuating marine environments with increased speed and range.

A rendered image of Tenebris, an unmanned surface vessel, under joint development by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Palantir Technologies [HD HYUNDAI]

HD Hyundai and Palantir aim to complete the development of the vessel by the end of 2026.

The AI Expo, organized by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, was attended by over 150 U.S. AI and security organizations, including Google and the National Security Agency.

The global unmanned surface vessel market is projected to grow at an annual rate of 11.5 percent to reach $2.7 billion in 2032, according to market research firm Allied Market Research.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]