Autonomous · Submarines

Attack submarine

A nuclear attack submarine with no one aboard. Maintenance, not people, sets the length of a patrol.

Phase 7 · 2033+Concept design
Displacement
≈ 7,800 t
Reactor
110 MWt
Fuel burn
≈ 4.8 g / hr
Crew aboard
0
I · Blueprint
Side elevation, live systems
50 m100 m150 m200 mDEPTHAABBCCBow domeBow planesTorpedo tubesWeapon stowageFlank arrayRing framesSteam generatorShield bulkheadCondenserPower electronicsAft ballast tankStern tube & bearingStator vanesTowed arrayMain steam lineShielded passageAnechoic coatingPhotonic mastsComms masts115 m length overall020810140911121305060701030415SECTION A–A · WEAPONS ROOMCoatingPressure hullRing frameTrim tankTube breech doors ×4Stowed weaponsLoading trayDeckSECTION B–B · REACTOR COMPARTMENTØ 10.36 m hullShielded passageShieldingTank / bilgeSteam generatorReactor vesselControl rodsCoreCoolant pumpSECTION C–C · ENGINE ROOMTurbine-generatorPower electronicsBattery bufferCondenserSteam inSwitchboardDeckSections look forward. Hull diameter to scale; internal arrangement generic.
01Pump-jet propulsor — rotor, stator vanes, ductPropulsion
02Control surfaces — X-stern & bow planesStructure
03Shaft, stern tube & sealPropulsion
04Propulsion motorPropulsion
05Battery buffer — 4 MWhPower
06Turbine-generators & condenserPower
07Reactor compartment — reactor, steam generator, pressurizerPower
08Outer hull, pressure hull & ring framesStructure
09Vertical payload modulesMission systems
10Sail — masts & sensorsStructure
11Autonomous command coreMission systems
12Weapons room & tubesMission systems
13Spherical bow sonarMission systems
14Main ballast tanksStructure
15Towed array & reelMission systems
II · Power & drivetrain

Room once reserved for people.

Without berthing, galley or life support, the hull wraps tightly around the reactor, turbines and mission systems. The reactor drives turbine-generators and a quiet electric motor turning a pump-jet.

Reactor, turbo-generators and quiet drive — rotating view
A 110 MWt pressurized-water reactor with two steam generators and coolant pumps feeds two turbo-generators; the switchboard drives one large permanent-magnet motor that turns the pump-jet rotor at right. The arrangement is generic.
01Reactor vessel — 110 MWt pressurized-water, life-of-ship core
02Steam generators — 2, with main coolant pumps
03Turbo-generators — 2 × 16.5 MWe, 3 stages
04Condensers — sea-water cooled
05Main switchboard — 6.6 kV, electric drive, no reduction gear
06Propulsion motor — 30 MW permanent-magnet, 150 rpm
07Pump-jet rotor — 9 blades, in its duct
08Shaft — short, no gearbox, the quiet reason for electric drive
Pump-jet rotor
Power plantPressurized reactor, 110 MWt
Shaft output≈ 30 MW
FuelHighly enriched uranium, ≈ 93% U-235
Consumption≈ 4.8 g fissile / hr
Metal content≈ 93% high-yield steel
Naked drivetrain — energy to motion
Conceptual · not to scaleREACTOR COMPARTMENT · SHIELDEDReactor · 110 MWtSteam generatorTurbineGeneratorPower electronicsPM motorShaft ≈ 30 MWPump-jetPressurizerHot legCold legCoolant pumpMain steamSeawaterCondenserFeed pumpBattery bufferHull · shaft sealThrust bearingStatorRotor
III · How it is put together

Built in blocks, joined, then brought to life.

Blocks are fabricated in parallel, joined in sequence, and the power module and autonomy core go in last. The loop below replays the build order.

POWER MODULE
I
Pressure-hull rings rolled & welded
II
Modules outfitted before joining
III
Power module sealed in
IV
Sail & sensors fitted
V
Float-off & dive trials
IV · Specification

Concept specification.

Design specification for the autonomous attack submarine.

Length overall
115 m
Displacement (submerged)
≈ 7,800 t
Power plant
Pressurized reactor, 110 MWt
Consumption
≈ 4.8 g fissile / hr
Core life
Life of ship
Speed (submerged)
30+ kn
Propulsor
Pump-jet
Sonar
Spherical bow array
Payload
Weapons room + vertical modules
Endurance
Limited only by maintenance
Electric output
≈ 33 MWe, 30% steam cycle
Shaft output
≈ 30 MW, quiet electric drive
Reactor load at 30 kn
≈ 100%; 12% at 13 kn patrol
Battery buffer
4 MWh; 1 hr at 13 kn patrol
Metal content
≈ 93% high-yield steel
Crew aboard
0
Onboard compute
Four AI modules inside the pressure hull
Modules4 AI modules (navigation & mission; sonar classification; ship control & plant; verifier) + 2 certified safety controllers
CPU64 cores (4 × 16) + 4 lockstep real-time cores per module
AI throughput20,000 TOPS total (4 × 5,000, INT8 / FP4 sparse)
Memory4 × 128 GB LPDDR6, 600 GB/s per module
Power draw400 W compute; ≈ 0.7 kW with sonar processing front-ends and 4 mast cameras — 0.002% of the 33 MWe plant
Process node2 nm-class SoCs; safety controllers on a mature 16 nm node, 15-year supply
RedundancyEvery sensor is wired to both module pairs. Each module is primary for its own job and hot standby for its partner, and any one can bring the boat to a safe depth and speed. The verifier checks every manoeuvre independently. A software fault can never drive the submarine outside its certified safe envelope: two SIL 3 controllers hold reactor protection, depth and ballast on their own depth gauges, plane and rudder angle sensors, shaft encoder and reactor instruments.
SensorsSpherical bow array, flank and towed arrays, 4 mast cameras (visible and thermal) on an automotive Ethernet camera switch, navigation radar at the surface, inertial navigation, 2,000 plant sensors
LinkVery-low-frequency and satellite when at communication depth; the boat carries its mission plan and rules and follows them between contacts. Motor drives close their own current loop at 1 kHz; every safety loop closes aboard.
Service lifeThe boat serves 33 years on one core. Compute is a line-replaceable unit, swapped at mid-life.
A submarine spends most of its patrol out of contact, so it carries the whole mission plan and the rules that bound it, and an independent verifier module must agree before any manoeuvre. Weapons release is never an onboard software decision; it stays with humans ashore. Reactor protection and depth control sit on certified controllers that no software update can reach.
Today vs IC
Power and crew: today’s attack submarine beside the IC design
Today · nuclear attack submarineIC design
Layout115 m, ≈ 7,800 t submerged; torpedo room, berthing and control room forward of the reactor115 m, ≈ 7,800 t; no berthing, galley or control room; weapons room, vertical payload modules and autonomy core
ReactorPressurized-water reactor, ≈ 210 MWt (public estimate), life-of-ship core of ≈ 33 yearsPressurized-water reactor, 110 MWt, life-of-ship core; ≈ 33 MWe at 30%
Drive2 geared steam turbines → reduction gear → shaft, ≈ 30 MW; secondary motor to get home2 × 16.5 MWe turbo-generators → 30 MW permanent-magnet motor at 150 rpm, no reduction gear
Speed25+ kn submerged (published floor)30+ kn submerged; 13 kn patrol at 12% reactor load
Fuel burn at full power≈ 9–11 g U-235 / hr from the 210 MWt estimate≈ 4.8 g fissile / hr
Crew1320
The IC column is the design shown on this page. Sources for the Today column are listed in BUILD_NOTES.md.
Runs on The Brain
Every patrol of this boat is planned by The Brain’s orchestration layer, mirrored in the fleet’s digital twin, and re-planned at every contact.
See how it works →