TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Co., Ltd. participated as a speaker at “Impress AI Days 2026”, an online seminar organised by Impress Corporation, on 16 September 2026, where it presented its initiative to modernise its core system through AI-driven development (AIDD).

The session, titled “Breaking the Conventional Wisdom that Core System Modernisation Requires Enormous Costs and Years of Development – How Two Young Engineers and AI-Driven Development Have Transforming Modernisation at TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING”, featured KUROTOBI Tatsuya and MATSUO Goki of the Information Strategy Dept., Business Administration Div., TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING, alongside FUKATSU Wataru, CEO of Scalar, Inc., and HOSHI Toshihiro, Marketing Director at Kong Inc.

Using the company’s long-running procurement system as a case study, the session introduced TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING’s initiatives for core system modernisation, from analysing the existing system using AI to developing talent capable of driving AIDD projects.

<Taking on the Modernisation of a Long-Running Core System>

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING is currently working to modernise its procurement system, which has been in operation for more than 15 years and centrally manages the procurement and inventory of materials and equipment.

Over many years of operation, various functions have been added to the system in response to changes in business and operational requirements, resulting in the accumulation of extensive business knowledge and expertise. However, migrating to a new system requires the company to understand the overall system landscape and relationships between programs, analyse a vast amount of existing source code, and reorganise the underlying business processes and system structure.

To address this challenge, TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING is leveraging AI to analyse its existing system. AI is used to analyse large volumes of source code across the system and help clarify business processes and system structures that have grown complex over time, as the company moves forward with its modernisation programme.

The company is also transitioning from a tightly coupled legacy system to a microservices architecture in which functions are divided into individual services. Through this approach, TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING aims to establish a next-generation system platform capable of responding flexibly and rapidly to changes in business needs.

HOSHI of Kong introducing TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING’s AI-driven development initiative

<From Three Months of External Training to Real-World System Modernisation>

KUROTOBI and MATSUO, who spoke at the seminar, spent three months from February 2026 at Scalar, Inc., training in AIDD.

In addition to learning AI-enabled development methods, they gained practical experience by working directly on system development and exploring how AI can be incorporated into the development process. After completing the programme, they returned to TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING and are now applying the knowledge and experience they gained to the modernisation of the company’s core system.

In this project, AI is being used not merely as a tool for improving operational efficiency, but as a new means of supporting the development process, including system analysis, design, implementation and testing.

<Leveraging AI While Keeping People at the Centre of Decision-Making>

The session also highlighted that while AIDD has the potential to accelerate system analysis and development, human judgement remains essential. Rather than adopting AI-generated outputs as they are, engineers must review the results and determine whether they align with the intended objectives and direction of the project.

People remain responsible for defining what kind of system should be built, what it should achieve, and whether the results generated by AI are appropriate. Advancing development while combining the respective strengths of AI and people is one of the key factors for success in AIDD.

Beyond development, AI can also support learning when engineers acquire new technologies and knowledge. Through this initiative, young engineers are developing their technical capabilities through hands-on experience and expanding the areas in which they can contribute, opening up new possibilities for talent development.

Speakers after the session

<Driving Further Business Transformation through AI>

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING will continue to promote business transformation through digital technologies, extending beyond the current core system modernisation project.

The new system is being developed for use across the entire shipbuilding segment, and standardisation based on the “One Business Process, One System” principle is being advanced. Through these efforts, the company aims to improve operational efficiency and reduce administrative burden, and in the future to use the system as a common DX platform.

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING is also creating an environment in which employees across a wide range of workplaces — not only engineers — can leverage AI and other digital technologies to drive improvements in their own work. The company will continue to advance the adoption of digital technologies and talent development, building a sustainable business foundation and creating new value.

<Upcoming Speaking Engagement>

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING will continue to share its AIDD and core system modernisation initiatives through external events.

The company is scheduled to speak next at “Kong API Summit Japan 2026”, where it will introduce its ongoing initiatives in AIDD and system modernisation.

For event details and registration, please visit the official website.

Kong API Summit Japan 2026 (Japanese only)
https://www.kong-api-aisummitjapan2026.com/

Related Information

10 June 2026 – Press Release
“TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Advances Procurement System Transformation Through AI-Driven In-House Development – Building a Cloud-Based DX Platform While Advancing AI Talent Development –”
https://www.tsuneishi.co.jp/english/news/p3470/