Underwater Robotics Market Size

Global Underwater Robotics Market size was valued at USD 6.1 billion in 2023 and is poised to grow from USD 7.03 billion in 2024 to USD 21.97 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 15.3% during the forecast period (2025-2032).

The growing use of underwater robots for rescue, salvage, and repair operations is contributing to the global market growth in the coming 10 years. The increasing utilization of underwater vehicles in the navy, police forces, and military for various operations, including surveillance and reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, inspection and identification, miner countermeasures, oceanography, payload delivery, etc., is forecasted to generate prospects for market players going forward.

In recent years, underwater robots have been gaining prominence, especially because of growing requirements for searching and exploring more offshore oil & gas reserves. Furthermore, constant technological advancements in these automated machines are also anticipated to drive global market growth. Various types of underwater robots are operating in multiple offshore industries.

Underwater robots are utilized in various industries however, the high cost of production, maintenance, and operation is projected to limit their demand. In addition, skilled professionals are required to avoid any sort of mishap. Moreover, semiconductors are used as elementary components required for the manufacturing of robots. Differences between the demand and supply of semiconductors with constant fluctuations in their prices are set to hamper market growth.

How Is AI Enhancing Autonomy and Efficiency in Underwater Robotics?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a transformation role in the underwater robotics market, autonomy, decision-making skills and operational efficiency. As underwater missions become more complex ranging from deep-sea exploration and pipeline inspection to military reconnaissance and environmental monitoring—AI-enabled robots are proving indispensable. These systems benefit from AI for adaptive navigation, barrier avoidance, object recognition and real-time data analysis, dramatically reduces human intervention and operational risk. One of the most important effects of AI is seen in the autonomous water vehicles (AUVs), where the AI algorithm enables real-time route optimization, deviation detection and future maintenance. This change continues the boundaries of how long and deepening these robots can be revived, making Deep Sea missions more efficient and expensive.

What Role Do Startups Play in Expanding Underwater Robotics Applications?

Startups play a pivotal role in expanding the applications of underwater robotics by introducing innovative technologies and solutions that address the challenges of underwater exploration, monitoring, and maintenance. These emerging companies are at the forefront of developing autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with advanced sensors, AI-driven navigation systems, and real-time data processing capabilities. By targeting industries such as marine research, oil and gas exploration, environmental monitoring, and underwater infrastructure inspection, startups are not only advancing the capabilities of existing systems but also opening new opportunities for underwater robotics in diverse fields.

• Hydromea (Founded: 2019, Switzerland): Hydromea is a Swiss-based underwater robotics startup focused on developing portable, autonomous underwater drones and communication solutions for inspection and data gathering in hard-to-reach underwater environments. Their unique value lies in miniaturized, tetherless robotics designed for remote and hazardous locations like offshore platforms or deep-sea operations. In 2024, Hydromea partnered with a European offshore wind farm operator to deploy its ultra-portable LUMA drone for continuous underwater structure inspection. The integration of AI-enhanced navigation improved inspection efficiency by 40% compared to traditional ROVs.

• SEATech Robotics (Founded: 2018, South Korea): SEATech Robotics specializes in compact and intelligent unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) used for marine research, defense, and infrastructure monitoring. The company focuses on incorporating AI and edge computing to allow adaptive underwater exploration and inspection missions. In 2024, SEATech Robotics collaborated with the Korea Maritime Institute to launch a new AI-enabled AUV equipped with real-time object recognition for subsea pipeline monitoring. The solution drastically reduced human intervention in maintenance planning and improved risk assessment accuracy.