ABS Deepens South Korea-US Shipbuilding Collaboration

ABS has signed two agreements with South Korean shipbuilding organizations aimed at advancing software-defined vessel technology and strengthening workforce development for the U.S. and Korean shipbuilding industries.

The first agreement will see ABS Consulting and affiliate ABS Wavesight support HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) in developing its software-defined vessel (SDV) platform by providing software quality assurance advisory, verification and validation support.

The collaboration is intended to help establish a framework for software quality, verification readiness and implementation as shipbuilders increasingly shift vessel functions from dedicated hardware to software.

“Software is becoming increasingly central to how next-generation vessels are designed, integrated and operated. As the maritime industry advances toward more connected and software-enabled platforms, strong quality governance and independent validation are essential to building confidence in performance, reliability and long-term readiness,” said David Wechsler, President and CEO, ABS Consulting.

"The core competitiveness of future vessels will increasingly be determined by advanced software capabilities rather than hardware alone. By leveraging ABS Consulting’s proven expertise in software quality and security assurance, we look forward to accelerating HD KSOE's AI and Digital Transformation (AX/DX) and bringing the true era of Software-Defined Vessels (SDV) closer to reality," added Kim Hyung-Kwan, President &