Busan is establishing a research hub that applies artificial intelligence (AI) technology to the marine and shipbuilding industries. The city aims to transform its marine industry, traditionally centered on manufacturing, into an AI-based advanced industry, seeking to seize the future marine mobility market and expand its research and development (R&D) ecosystem simultaneously.
The Busan Metropolitan Government, together with Pukyong National University and the Korea Institute of Materials Science, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday at Pukyong National University's main building to establish the "Marine AI Materials Research Center," the city said.
The center, which will involve researchers from Pukyong National University and the Korea Institute of Materials Science, will be located in the advanced laboratory building at Pukyong's Yongdang Campus. The facility will be renovated into a 615-square-meter research space by October and will begin full operation next year under a "one center, three laboratories" system.
The Marine AI Energy Materials Laboratory will use AI to design eco-friendly energy materials and corrosion- and fouling-resistant materials, while the Marine AI Process Automation Laboratory will develop smart production processes using hull painting robots and autonomous mobile vehicles. The Marine AI Component Performance Evaluation Laboratory will pursue lifespan prediction of smart components based on maintenance data and secure digital twin-based verification technology.
Busan will provide administrative support for the center's operation and work to attract national funding and super-regional R&D projects. Pukyong National University will provide research space and conduct industry-academia cooperative research, while the Korea Institute of Materials Science will handle the development of source technologies for advanced marine materials and the planning of large-scale national R&D projects.
The city expects the research center to become a key hub for creating an AI-based marine industry ecosystem. It explained that the center will lead the advancement of the local shipbuilding and equipment industries centered on future technologies such as eco-friendly energy materials, smart manufacturing and digital twins, and will serve as a foundation for attracting related companies and research institutions to Busan.
"The Marine AI Materials Research Center will become key infrastructure for Busan to leap forward as a global maritime capital," Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "We expect it to become a catalyst that draws related upstream and downstream companies to Busan by concentrating advanced source technologies, from eco-friendly energy material design to robotic processes and digital twin-based verification technology."
