Benetti Launches AI-Driven Overhaul of Yacht Production

Photo- Benetti

In a major move for the yacht and superyacht industry, Italian builder Benetti has announced a comprehensive rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) across its yacht production — starting by the end of this year.

The first phase of the program, developed in collaboration with Quinn University Consortium, will launch at Benetti’s Livorno, Italy, shipyard, targeting four core divisions within its operations: Logistics, Planning, Production Engineering and Safety.

According to the renowned yacht and superyacht builder, the drive to integrate AI represents a commitment to innovation — one that seeks to preserve the craftsmanship and attention to detail the brand is known for, while also embracing the efficiencies offered by digital technology.

Benetti General Manager Massimo Casoni said in a press release, “(i)nvesting in innovation is the strategy that ensures we can always offer our clients the best possible product. The introduction of artificial intelligence is a significant step forward in the history of yacht building, and while on one side excellence and attention to detail remain core to the brand, on the other, the adoption of cutting-edge digital solutions will open the way to make processes faster, more efficient and more sustainable, putting us in the best possible position to face future challenges."

Quinn Consortium’s General Manager Ilaria Campana added: “Today, artificial intelligence is a fundamental lever for driving companies into the future, on the condition that we think of it not only as a tool to improve efficiency, but also and most importantly as a force for transformation that can generate concrete, positive impacts on the entire production system. That’s why we need an integrated, process-focused approach to deliver excellent performance, protect investments in technology and foster new ways of working.”

The Benetti Livorno Shipyard

According to Benetti, the initial AI implementation will include:

• Automated controls within their Booking Portal to align deliveries with production schedules and warehouse capacity.

• A “Three-Year Plan Simulator” that can process complex scenarios and make data-driven decisions — enabling the yard to reduce manual errors, shorten processing times for semi-finished materials, and allow skilled workers to focus on higher-value tasks, rather than being bogged down in inefficient logjams.

The projected outcome, according to Benetti, is a reduction in repetitive or error-prone tasks while also improving workflow efficiency across various divisions, planning, and production engineering, which in turn will result in improved consistency and overall quality.

The Benetti AI initiative is actually the second collaboration between the shipyard and Quinn, the first running from 2022 to 2024 and focusing on synchronizing logistics across the shipyard. The first project centered on horizontal integration of their supply chain and became the foundation for both sides identifying inefficiencies and opportunities for automation, which are now being addressed in part two.

The new phase also underscores a realistic outcome for the near future -- where shipyard internal manufacturing is designed around AI-driven data, automation, and smart planning — what might be called “Shipyard 4.0.”

Nearly all manufacturing industries are currently exploring the capability of AI with respect to efficiency and engineering, and boating has now entered the same phase. Other manufacturers have begun integrating area in foundational ways, like Azimut (a member of the related Azimut Benetti Group) partnering with Google on an AI 'test captain' and Saxdor doing something similar with a 'co-captain' mobile app. Brunswick Corporation recently opened their own Boating Intelligence Design Lab while Yamaha Corporation invested $100 million into Robotics and AI development. On an individual product scale, well-known companies like FLIR have just unveiled AI-driven camera systems for yachts. On a broad scale, industry-driven events like the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge bring together leading engineers to showcase products advancing the capability AI and electrification.

If successful, Benetti’s AI-infused production overhaul could serve as the benchmark for the broader yachting industry. As Campana put it, AI represents a “fundamental lever for driving companies into the future,” so long as it is deployed with a process-focused approach.

The first wave of AI systems for Benetti are expected to go live at the Livorno facility before the end of 2025. #news #benetti