Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market by Shape (Torpedo, Laminar Flow Body, Streamlined Rectangular Style, Multi-hull Vehicle), Type (Shallow, Medium, & Large AUVs), Technology (Imaging, Navigation, Propulsion), Payload - Global Forecast to 2029
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Market Size & Growth:
[274 Pages Report] The global autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market size is valued at USD 2.0 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 4.3 billion by 2029; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.9% from 2024 to 2029.
Increasing investments in offshore oil & gas drilling, technological advancements in AUVs, and deployment of advanced technologies to ensure border and maritime security are driving the market for AUVs, whereas growing demand in offshore energy exploration creates a major opportunity for the growth of the market.
Military & Defense, Oil & Gas, and Archeology and Exploration are among the top three application segments in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market. The US is the largest market in North America, Germany is the largest market in Europe, and China is the largest market in the Asia Pacific region.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market Forecast & Statistics to 2028
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Impact of AI on the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Industry Trends:
Driver: Shifting preference toward renewable energy sources
Alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind, waves, tides, and geothermal energy, are generally supported by environmentalists and environmental groups due to their sustainable and non-polluting nature. Many marine-based renewable energy technologies are in the early stages of development.
Thus, there is limited knowledge of the cost-effectiveness of large-scale ocean-based systems or their environmental effects. However, before investing in these upcoming renewable energy technologies, extensive R&D is required. AUVs play an essential role in inspection and R&D activities to help organizations find the best possible outcomes for investing in renewable energy sources.
Restraint: High development, operational, and maintenance costs
The operational costs of autonomous underwater vehicles are high. Factors contributing to this high overall cost are development & acquisition, maintenance & repair, personnel training, mission-specific costs, logistics & support, and data processing & analysis. For instance, the A-18 AUV of Exail Technologies (France), with a depth rating of up to 3,000 m, costs between USD 2-6 million.
The deployment costs of AUVs used in exploration or survey activities add to the cost of exploration and survey missions. Moreover, the high maintenance, manufacturing, research & development costs, along with system complexity, also result in their slow adoption.
Opportunity: Rising use of AUVs to protect subsea cables and seabed environment
Since 1985, underwater optical fiber cable has played a significant role in communications. It has numerous advantages, such as high reliability, large capacity, as well as an excellent communication quality. However, these cables are also vulnerable to potential hazards, such as turbulent currents, earthquakes, anchor drop, and so on.
To overcome such hazardous issues, two types of autonomous underwater vehicles are generally used. The first one is inspection AUVs that are equipped with high resolution cameras and sensors to inspect all kinds of damages in the cable, and the second category is work class AUVs, that are equipped with manipulator arms and other tools to perform underwater operations.
Challenges: Risk of data loss and prolonged research timelines due to challenging marine environment
Autonomous underwater vehicles can reach altitudes of less than 5 meters by their capability to dive close to the seabed and reach areas with low relief. This allows them to collect seafloor mapping, profiling, and imaging data with exceptional spatial resolution and navigational accuracy, surpassing surface vessels and towed instruments.
Therefore, AUVs can tackle challenging marine environments. Still, their survival in these settings is a concern, and there is a risk of losing valuable data due to natural hazards that could cause the loss of the vehicle.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market Map:
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Industry Segmentation:
The LED lighting segment in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market is expected to grow at the highest rate by imaging technology during the forecast period.
The LED lighting segment under the imaging technology segment of the autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period from 2024 to 2029. Certain challenges related to underwater lighting, such as high pressure and limited light penetration, require specific LED types to overcome these challenges.
The LEDs used in autonomous underwater vehicles consume less power compared to other lights which helps to extend the battery life of the vehicle. Additionally, these lights are specially designed to withstand harsh underwater environments.
Torpedo segment accounts for the largest market share of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market, by shape during the forecast period.
The Torpedo shaped segment of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market holds the largest market share and is expected to grow with the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The growth in this segment can be attributed to their ease of storage and launch from ships, aircraft, and helicopters without significant modifications.
Torpedo-shaped AUVs can be used for a range of applications such as underwater mapping & surveying, oceanography & environmental monitoring, and search & recovery operations.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market Regional Analysis:
Asia Pacific region is expected to exhibit the highest CAGR during forecast period.
The market for autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in the Asia Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period from 2024 to 2029; this region is also expected to hold the largest share of the market by 2029.
The Asia Pacific region includes countries like China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and others where we find continuous growth in such countries' GDPs, especially China and India, and their respective increasing military expenditures over the years. Apart from this, demand for autonomous underwater vehicles for oceanographic research, and underwater sea exploration has increased in these countries in the past few years. All these factors are contributing to the high growth rate of the market.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market by Region
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Top AUV Comaines - Key Market Players
- Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (US),
- KONGSBERG (Norway),
- Fugro (Netherlands),
- Saab (Sweden),
- General Dynamics Corporation (US),
- Exail Technologies (France),
- Lockheed Martin Corporation (US),
- ATLAS ELEKTRONIK (Germany),
- L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (US),
- Boston Engineering (US), among others, are some key players operating in the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) companies.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) Industry Report Scope
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Report Metric |
Details |
| Estimated Market Size | USD 2.0 billion in 2024 |
| Projected Market Size | USD 4.3 billion by 2029 |
| Growth Rate | CAGR of 15.9% |
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Market size available for years |
2020–2029 |
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Base year considered |
2023 |
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Forecast period |
2024–2029 |
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Forecast units |
USD Million/Billion |
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Segments Covered |
Technology, Type, Shape, Speed, Payload Type, Application, and Region. |
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Regions covered |
North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and RoW |
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Companies covered |
Some of the leading companies operating in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market are KONGSBERG (Norway), Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (US), General Dynamics Corporation (US), Saab (Sweden), Exail Technologies (France), Lockheed Martin Corporation (US), Fugro (Netherlands), ATLAS ELEKTRONIK (Germany), Boston Engineering Corporation (US), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (US), Graal Tech S.r.l. (Italy), International Submarine Engineering Limited (Canada), and Boeing (US). Some of the new entrants in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market include Riptide Autonomous Solutions (US), MSubs (China), Falmouth Scientific, Inc. (FSI) (China), Terradepth (US), ecoSUB Robotics Limited (UK), Eelume AS (Norway), BaltRobotics (Poland), and Hydromea (Switzerland). |
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market
Highlights
This research report categorizes the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market based on Technology, Type, Shape, Speed, Payload Type, Application, and Region.
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Subsegment |
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By Technology |
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By Type |
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By Shape |
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By Speed |
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By Payload Type |
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By Application |
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By Region |
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Recent developments in Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) Industry
- In March 2024, Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (US) announced that it has agreed to acquire Valeport Holdings Limited (UK), which designs and manufactures underwater sensors for environmental, energy, construction, and defense applications.
- In February 2024, The Italian Ministry of Defence awarded KONGSBERG (Norway) a contract to supply a lightweight, unmanned submersible vehicle (AUV) capable of surveying shallow waters.
- In November 2022, Fugro (Netherlands) was awarded two geotechnical investigation contracts for the development of the Dutch IJmuiden Ver Site V-VI, Nederwiek (zuid) Site I, and Hollandse Kust (west) Site VIII offshore wind zones. It is one of the largest campaigns undertaken by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and part of the accelerated development by the Dutch Government in line with the Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap 2030.
Critical questions answered by this report:
What are the key strategies adopted by key companies in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market?
Product launches, acquisitions, and collaborations have been and continue to be some of the major strategies the key players adopted to grow in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market.
What region dominates the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market?
The Asia Pacific region will dominate the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market.
Which application segment dominates the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market?
Military & Defense segment is expected to dominate the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market.
Which technology segment dominates the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market?
The Imaging segment is expected to have the largest market size during the forecast period.
Who are the major autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market companies?
KONGSBERG (Norway), Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (US), General Dynamics Corporation (US), Saab (Sweden), Exail Technologies (France), Lockheed Martin Corporation (US), Fugro (Netherlands), ATLAS ELEKTRONIK (Germany), Boston Engineering Corporation (US), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (US), Graal Tech S.r.l. (Italy), International Submarine Engineering Limited (Canada), Boeing (US), Riptide Autonomous Solutions (US), MSubs (China), among others, are some key players operating in the market.
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The study involved four major activities in estimating the current size of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market —exhaustive secondary research collected information on the market and its peer and parent markets. The next step was to validate these findings, assumptions, and sizing with industry experts across the value chain through primary research. Both top-down and bottom-up approaches were employed to estimate the total market size. After that, market breakdown and data triangulation were used to estimate the market size of segments and subsegments.
Secondary Research
Various secondary sources have been referred to in the secondary research process for identifying and collecting information important for this study. These secondary sources include AUV technology journals and magazines, annual reports, press releases, investor presentations of companies, white papers, certified publications and articles from recognized authors, and directories and databases such as Factiva, Hoovers, and OneSource.
Primary Research
Various primary sources from both supply and demand sides have been interviewed in the primary research process to obtain qualitative and quantitative information important for this report. The primary sources from the supply side included industry experts such as CEOs, VPs, marketing directors, technology and innovation directors, and related executives from key companies and organizations operating in the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market. After complete market engineering (including calculations regarding market statistics, market breakdown, market size estimations, market forecasting, and data triangulation), extensive primary research was conducted to gather information as well as to verify and validate the critical numbers arrived at.
To know about the assumptions considered for the study, download the pdf brochure
Market Size Estimation
In the complete market estimation process, both top-down and bottom-up approaches have been implemented, along with several data triangulation methods, to estimate and validate the size of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market and other dependent submarkets listed in this report.
- Extensive secondary research has identified key players in the industry and market.
- In terms of value, the industry’s supply chain and market size have been determined through primary and secondary research processes.
- All percentage shares, splits, and breakdowns have been determined using secondary sources and verified through primary sources.
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (Auv) Market: Bottom-Up Approach
Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (Auv) Market: Top-Down Approach
Data Triangulation
After arriving at the overall market size from the estimation process explained above, the global market has been split into several segments and subsegments. Market breakdown and data triangulation procedures have been employed wherever applicable to complete the overall market engineering process and arrive at exact statistics for all segments and subsegments. The data has been triangulated by studying several factors and trends identified from both the demand and supply sides.
Market Definition
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are unmanned underwater robots that operate independently of humans. They are self-guiding and self-powered vehicles capable of navigating from the sea surface to ocean depths and back. Some AUVs are solar-powered, enabling them to spend time on the surface.
Key Stakeholders
- Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
- Technology solution providers
- Research institutes
- Market research and consulting firms
- Forums, alliances, and associations
- Technology investors
- Governments and financial institutions
- Analysts and strategic business planners
- End users
Report Objectives
The following are the primary objectives of the study.
- To forecast the size of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market, in terms of value, based on technology, type, shape, payload type, speed, application, and region
- To define, describe, and forecast the AUV market size, in terms of volume, based on type
- To describe and forecast the market, in terms of value, for various segments across four main regions: North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and RoW
- To provide detailed information regarding the drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges influencing the growth of the market
- To study the complete value chain and related industry segments and conduct a value chain analysis of the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) market landscape
- To strategically analyze the ecosystem, regulatory landscape, patent landscape, Porter’s Five Forces, import and export scenarios, and case studies pertaining to the market under study
- To strategically analyze micromarkets1 with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and their contributions to the overall market
- To analyze opportunities for stakeholders by identifying high-growth segments in the market
- To strategically profile the key players and provide a detailed competitive landscape of the AUV market
- To analyze strategic approaches adopted by leading players in the market, including product launches/developments, contracts, and acquisitions
Available Customizations
With the given market data, MarketsandMarkets offers customizations according to a company’s specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:
Company Information:
- Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to 5)
Generating Response ...
Growth opportunities and latent adjacency in Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Market
Have you profiled L3Harris technologies? I believe they are one of the top vendors in the AUV market. Apart from the one's mentioned in the company profile chapter what other companies have profiled?
I want to speak to the analyst who wrote this to get more insight for an article about the growth and potential (and pitfalls) of the underwater drone market. Also would like to understand the methodology for the same.
Hi, We are a start up company and would very much like to view this report but we don't have 5k or 8k to do so, do you have any deals that you can offer us as a start up company? Also would like to understand the payloads such as cameras, sensors, etc. and their use in Torpedo's.
Can you provide me comparitive qualitative and quantitave analysis of ROV and AUV? Make sure to provide unit shipments and ASP of ROV and AUV. Also provide me the top 10 vendors in the ROV market.
Is there any scope for new entrants in the market? If yes please provide me few start-ups in the market along with entry barriers in the market. Information on best practices in the market will also be well appriciated.
Have you provided information on ASP and unit shipment of each type of AUV i.e., shallow, medium and large? Can you also provide me both qualitative and quantitative information on each type and its application along with top vendors in each type?
Neptune has recently completed its first deep water AUV survey in oil and gas. However, I would appreciate more information on defense, scientific and geography markets across all water depths as we have not had much visibility on this and believe we can use our vehicle for numerous purposes.
How AUVs are associated with the environmental protection and oceanography?
Hello, I am a PhD student in Engineering/Oceanography concentrating on the technological development of AUVs. Would it be possible to request a sample of this report? Are there any discounts available for students at academic institutions who are using this information for research?
Have been involved for many years now in providing Logistic/Customs Support Services to Clients who operate AUV Systems Worldwide. What are the latest trends of AUVs in military and defense and oil & gas industries
What are the various Technologies and Types covered in the research. Also I would like to understand the opportunities and how government initiatives would be a driving factor for this market>?
I would like to understand about acquisitions and or technology purchases made by market players (purchases of startups, R&D firms or purchases of licenses form universities etc..) in the AUV market. Have you covered this in your scope?
Does your report have information on AUV batteries and various types of AUV batteries? Also can you provide me quantitative information on various AUV batteries? It should also include upcoming AUV battery technologies along with top vendor in each AUV battery type.
Hello. I am the founder of a newly formed autonomous underwater vehicle and I am interested in this report so we can better identify our target markets and customers. Also I would like to know the major areas that have been covered in this market.
We are a team of Electrical Engineering students from ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology) developing an AUV with an open source system for our capstone design project. The project is being developed for academicals maritime research purposes needed in Indonesia as it is the largest archipelago in the world. We request access for this pdf because we need a source of information for researching the global market for AUV development, as the Indonesian market for undersea exploration is currently very limited.