What makes the approach different
Unmanned means no people onboard. That requires rethinking the whole vessel: navigation, machinery, cargo handling, maintenance and the connection to people ashore. Autonomous navigation alone does not make a ship unmanned.
People move ashore, away from dangerous work at sea. Their knowledge remains central: mariners supervise the fleet, handle communication and step in when needed. The aim is to give their expertise greater reach across multiple ships.
One hard design constraint guides every solution: no required changes to ports, cranes, other vessels or infrastructure outside the ship manager’s control. x1025 changes the ship and the work aboard it to fit the world as it is.
We integrate strong existing technology and invent what is missing. We rethink the job around machines instead of asking a robot to copy every action of a sailor.
What we are building now
x1025 Pratham is our unmanned supply vessel in development. The website shows its design with an empty deck, palletised cargo and a single 20ft container. These are configurations of one product.
Dashak and Shatak are future products marked ‘Coming soon’. Specifications and launch dates have not been announced.
The vessel models and interactive demonstrations explain designs and concepts in development. They are not evidence of a deployed unmanned fleet, completed sea trials or regulatory approval. Performance, payload, range and commercial readiness should be established through published test results as development progresses.
How ship, shore and fleet fit together
The demos make this concrete. A port makes its normal radio call and the ROC answers. A redesigned cargo net holds its lifting eye open so an unchanged crane hook can pick it up without a person on deck. A machinery fault triggers a backup while a robot addresses the failed component and the ROC stays informed. These are concepts being developed, not claims of proven operational capability.
- The ship: designed to carry cargo without accommodation or people aboard.
- Onboard autonomy: navigation, machinery operation and responses to faults remain part of the vessel’s own systems.
- The ROC: mariners ashore supervise, handle calls and resolve exceptions with the right context.
- The connected fleet: shore teams see multiple ships and help where their expertise is needed.
Why this matters, and why now
These are the benefits we are working toward. Cost savings and operating performance are not published measurements of a deployed x1025 fleet.
The tech is ready: LEO connectivity, cheap sensors, mature AI, and autonomy proven in other domains.
High-bandwidth links to shore make a different kind of connection possible from the low-bandwidth satellite services ships have used for years. Connectivity, sensing, AI and robotics together create the opportunity; reliable operation at sea is the engineering work ahead.
- Safer: most accidents trace to human error and fatigue; autonomy takes people out of harm’s way and moves them ashore.
- Cheaper: lower operating costs and better utilization, meaning savings for owners and cheaper freight for everyone.
- Unbounded: trades and routes that can’t pencil out today, from the smallest islands to new short-sea lanes
The founders: shipping and Physical AI
Hash (Harshvardhan) spent a decade at sea as a navigating officer, superintendent, commercial operator and underwriter, across ship operations, ship management and the business of shipping. He then earned an engineering degree from MIT and spent another decade building tools across logistics, supply chain and robotics. He writes the x1025 Logbook.
Kelp (Avikalp Kumar Gupta) is an IIT-trained technologist and former Microsoft Research fellow holding patents in Physical AI, with over a decade building intelligent systems at scale. His work spans Physical AI, reliable AI and human–computer interaction.
Together, their experience spans the ship, its operation and economics, and the intelligent systems needed to run it. This combination shapes which problems we choose and how we approach them.
Avikalp also brings experience building teams with a high bar for talent. At GetMega, his team hired more than 70 IIT computer science engineers. He reports zero resignations from that team. This is his account of a team he built at GetMega, not an x1025 headcount or retention statistic.
Hash brings a leadership approach built around giving before expecting something in return. That mindset shapes how we want to work with colleagues, customers and partners.
Why work here
This is work for builders who want their engineering to leave the screen and work at sea. You work directly with the founders and own problems from first principles through prototypes and trials. Hardware, software, vessel design and operations have to work together.
The problems include perception in fog, glare and spray; navigation without reliable GNSS; robots working in moving machinery spaces; cargo handling without deck crew; fault detection and recovery far from port; and giving shore operators the right context at the right time.
Our working principles are physical consequences, ownership end to end, redesigning the task instead of imitating people, and integrating the best technology from partners. We value systems that work in the field.
The careers page lists Field Robotics Engineer, Naval Architect, Mechanical / Mechatronics Engineer and Electrical Engineer roles. We also welcome open applications from people working in Physical AI, controls, maritime systems and related disciplines.
How we work together
We want high performance and personal growth to reinforce each other. We are invested in each person’s success in their own life, according to their own definition of success. That is the culture we are building at x1025.
- Alignment first. We look for people who care about the mission, are motivated and can reason and learn quickly. They can build the skills and connections the work needs. Talent, experience and connections cannot make up for a lack of alignment.
- Think big. Find a way to make it work. We are ambitious about the outcome and practical about how to get there. We will change the approach when that helps achieve the goal.
- Strong opinions, loosely held. Bring a clear point of view, explain your reasoning and change your mind when better evidence appears.
- Communicate clearly. Focus deeply. Share context early so people can do focused work and make good decisions together.
- Collaborate and learn together. A ship crosses many disciplines. We want people to share what they know and help each other get better.
- Stay close to the customer. High performance means solving the customer’s real problem, including what will matter over the long term. A short-term win that undermines that is not enough.
Why partner with us
An unmanned ship is a place where marine equipment, robotics, sensing, controls and autonomy must become one working system. We want to integrate what others already do well and develop the missing pieces together.
We are seeking shipowners and managers for operational insight, trial vessels and useful routes; shipyards for vessel design and construction; technology companies for robotics, equipment, sensing and autonomy; and researchers working on reliability at sea.
Ports and terminals can contribute operational insight and trial calls. Our design constraint remains the same: the ship adapts to existing infrastructure.
The proposed collaboration starts with what you have built, maps it to a specific shipboard problem, and works toward pilots and joint demonstrations with clear credit. These are opportunities to collaborate, not a list of signed partnerships.
The long-term company thesis
Shipping moves the goods the world depends on. Our thesis is that removing the need for people to live aboard, while keeping their expertise connected from shore, can change vessel design and the economics of maritime transport.
We are starting with Pratham. The larger ambition is a connected fleet that makes more routes viable, including small islands and short-sea lanes. Beyond moving goods, our manifesto looks toward a world that makes greater use of the ocean for making things and living at sea. Those are long-term ambitions, not current products.
For prospective investors, the case to explore is the combination of maritime operating experience, Physical AI expertise, whole-vessel design and compatibility with existing infrastructure. The investment thesis still needs to be demonstrated through engineering, trials, approvals and commercial results.
Funding, valuation, revenue, customer contracts and investment terms are not disclosed in this brief. The founders can discuss current progress and opportunities directly.
ThinkingShips and the Logbook
ThinkingShips is our product for shipowners and managers running fleets today. It is distinct from the unmanned vessels in development.
The x1025 Logbook, written by Hash, shares our thinking about ships, technology and what we are learning. It is the place to follow the company’s evolving perspective.
The Ocean Deserves Moonshots
Read the full x1025 Manifesto in its original words.