Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun-dong, third from right, listens to an explanation of the Tenebris unmanned surface vessel at Palantir Technologies' exhibition booth during the Artificial Intelligence Expo for National Competitiveness at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Wednesday (local time). Courtesy of HD Hyundai

HD Hyundai and Palantir Technologies unveiled the design of the Tenebris, an unmanned surface vessel (USV) under their joint development, during the first-ever Artificial Intelligence Expo for National Competitiveness held on Tuesday and Wednesday (local time) in Washington, D.C., the Korean company said Thursday.

The naval ship's miniature was on display at the exhibition booth of Palantir, the largest sponsor of the event hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project to enhance competitiveness of the U.S. and its allies.

Amid the attendance of decision-makers in the national security and defense sectors of the Five Eyes — the U.S, the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand — Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun-dong visited Palantir's exhibition booth to learn about technologies for unmanned warships.

Tenebris, which means darkness in Latin, aims for reconnaissance near enemy lines.

HD Hyundai and Palantir plan to finish the development of the 14-ton and 17-meter-long vessel by 2026. They also seek to make the ship capable of enduring severe marine environments and traveling longer distances.

In addition, the developers are set to apply the world's most advanced AI technology to the ship by integrating HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation system and Palantir's AI-based mission autonomy system.

"We will take the lead in the USV industry in collaboration with Palantir, the top-tier company in AI technologies for defense systems," an HD Hyundai official said.

Last month, the two companies announced their cooperation to develop the USV, which is considered to be a game-changer of the future naval warfare. HD Hyundai also won an order from the Republic of Korea Navy to design a USV that can be loaded onto a bigger naval vessel.