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Tech tonic
27th Apr 2026
(image: Shutterstock)
Shipbuilding has always absorbed the technologies of its era, from iron hulls to diesel propulsion to computer-aided design. The current transition is no different in kind, but it is different in scale. Digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) are not simply new tools added to an existing process, they are reshaping the logic of how vessels are conceived, built and operated. For shipyards that move quickly, the competitive implications are substantial.
Machine learning algorithms can evaluate thousands of hull configurations, propulsion options and internal layouts in the time it would take