Press Release
As Canada places increasing emphasis on sovereign industrial capability, advanced manufacturing, and homegrown innovation under its evolving Defence Industrial Strategy, Hanwha Ocean is broadening its Canadian industrial and technology strategy beyond naval procurement through strategic partnerships with Canadian artificial intelligence and advanced technology companies.
As part of that broader effort, Hanwha Ocean is advancing strategic partnerships with Canadian companies ForceN and Astrus to explore investment and growth collaboration opportunities tied to emerging technologies and industrial innovation in Canada.
The agreements form part of Hanwha Ocean’s broader industrial participation and economic value strategy associated with its bid for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP). Through this initiative, Hanwha aims to support the growth and global commercialization of high-potential Canadian technology firms through a dedicated venture investment platform valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, subject to CPSP selection. The effort reflects Hanwha Ocean’s broader vision for long-term Canada–Korea industrial cooperation — strengthening sovereign industrial capability, accelerating innovation and commercialization, and supporting the future competitiveness of sectors tied not only to naval programs, but also to the broader shipbuilding, advanced manufacturing, and technology ecosystems in both countries.
Rather than approaching industrial participation as a conventional offset obligation, Hanwha Ocean views CPSP as a platform for long-term Canada–Korea industrial cooperation tied to innovation, technology development, and sovereign capability growth.
In recent months, the company has expanded its Canadian partnership network across shipbuilding, aerospace, energy, advanced manufacturing, workforce development, and defence technology sectors, reflecting a broader effort to help establish a more integrated and globally competitive industrial base in Canada.
Under the agreements, Hanwha Ocean, ForceN, and Astrus will explore potential investment opportunities, commercialization initiatives, and strategic collaboration aimed at supporting Canadian technology growth while supporting broader CPSP-related industrial and technology collaboration in Canada.
ForceN, a Toronto-based robotics sensing company, develops high-precision force/torque sensing technologies and AI-enabled tactile solutions for next-generation robotics applications across surgical, logistics, humanoid, and aerospace sectors. Through the MOU, Hanwha Ocean and ForceN will explore opportunities to accelerate commercialization and global market expansion through potential strategic investment and collaboration initiatives.
Astrus, a Toronto-based AI semiconductor design company, specializes in AI-driven automation technologies for analog and mixed-signal semiconductor design. The company is focused on improving the efficiency and sophistication of next-generation semiconductor development processes, a capability increasingly important to next-generation computing, defence systems, and advanced manufacturing.
