The market for marine and underwater drones is growing in Italy. In 2024 the value of this sector reached 93.6 million euros, up from 76.2 million in 2023, and will reach 217.6 million in 2030, exceeding last year’s estimate of 203.9 million. This is reported by the new research “Above and belowe water drones market”, carried out by a strategic consulting firm, which will be presented in preview tomorrow during the “Sea Drone Tech Summit - Digital Conference 2025”, the second edition of the on-line conference on the latest developments in marine robotics, to be broadcast live with the participation of leading civil and military experts. Also in Italy, by 2030 the market for underwater robots (UUV, Unmanned Underwater Vehicles) will reach a value of 136.8 million, while Unmanned Surface Vessels (Usv, Unmanned Surface Vessel) will reach 80.8 million. In particular, in Italian country the marine robotics segment for Defence reached an estimated value of 38.6 million in 2024, set to grow significantly to reach 98.2 million by 2030. Forecasts for the world market have also increased: by 2030 it will reach 18.9 billion euros, of which 11.9 billion for the UUV sector and 7 billion for the USVs sector.

According to the report, Italy’s growth is driven by several structural factors: the increasing influence of the Polo nazionale della dimensione subacquea (PNS), thanks to collaborations with public bodies and agencies, regions and industrial realities; the publication by the PNS of more than 10 calls for research and development projects for strategic underwater technologies; public investments and multiple initiatives divided among programmes, projects and collaborations involving large players, SMEs and university spin-offs. In addition, the research highlights that, despite the predominance of civilian applications in absolute value, the Defence sector is expected to more than double globally by 2030, supported by programmes, research hubs and initiatives for the resilience of submarine cables and pipelines. The strand on the security of critical infrastructure is gaining centrality in the current geopolitical framework, while start-ups and spin-offs are increasing technological competition on payloads, autonomous navigation and operational endurance. Advances in artificial intelligence, sensors, autonomy and new materials expand applications in sectors such as coastal surveillance, offshore inspections, environmental monitoring and port security, with civil and military dual-use deployments continuously expanding.

The event programme will see tomorrow the participation of the main stakeholders in marine robotics in Italy: among others, experts from the offices of the Minister for Civil Defence and Sea Policies, the Italian Navy, CNR, ENEA and Fincantieri will speak. Among other items, there will be presentations on the rules foreseen by the Ddl on the safety of underwater activities, currently under discussion in the Chamber, and also on the activities and upcoming initiatives of the PNS.

In even-numbered years an in-person congress is organised in Ostia (Rome), replaced in odd-numbered years by an on-line conference.