Hivemind Enterprise permits the event of autonomous operations in GPS-denied environments. Supply: Defend AI
Defend AI, a supplier of autonomy software program and protection plane, yesterday introduced that it has accomplished an F-1 strategic funding spherical of $240 million, bringing the corporate’s valuation to $5.3 billion.
San Diego, Calif.-based Defend AI stated it plans to make use of the funds to increase the deployment of its Hivemind Enterprise platform to OEMs, governments, and corporations to allow them to present autonomy to the bigger robotics and drone industrial base.
“Creating autonomy is each complicated and dear,” famous Nathan Michael, chief expertise officer of Defend AI. “Hivemind Enterprise solves this broadly recognized downside and permits the speedy and environment friendly proliferation of resilient, high-performance autonomy for clever machines throughout industries. Hivemind Enterprise is about supercharging the economic base to construct and monetize autonomy, enabling a world of thousands and thousands of autonomous programs within the subsequent 10 years.”
Based in 2015, Defend AI stated it’s a venture-backed deep-technology firm with the mission of defending service members and civilians with clever, autonomous programs. Its merchandise embrace Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Hivemind Pilot, Hivemind Commander, and Hivemind Forge—in addition to V-BAT drones and the Sentient Imaginative and prescient Methods wide-area movement imaging software program.
The firm stated its expertise actively helps U.S. and allied operations worldwide. It has places of work in San Diego, Dallas, and Washington, D.C., in addition to Abu Dhabi within the United Arab Emirates; Kyiv, Ukraine; and Melbourne, Australia.
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Hivemind Enterprise accelerates autonomy, says Defend AI
Hivemind Enterprise is an autonomy software program suite for builders and organizations constructing, testing, evaluating, and deploying autonomy for clever machines. Defend AI claimed that it may well speed up improvement by “delivering a multi-year head begin with platform merchandise, AI-powered toolsets, and leveraging Defend AI’s confirmed edge autonomy.”
The Hivemind Enterprise product suite contains an built-in “autonomy manufacturing unit,” industrial-grade middleware, an autonomy catalog, and mission management. The corporate stated it empowers builders to construct and personal their mission-ready autonomous programs with pace and suppleness.
“The identical instruments that make up Hivemind Enterprise have already enabled Defend AI to autonomously fly F-16s, MQ-20s, MQM-178s, function V-BATs in GPS- and communications-denied environments, and have quadcopters discover buildings and tunnels for U.S. and Israeli forces,” acknowledged Brandon Tseng, co-founder and president of Defend AI. “Partnerships with strategics like L3 Harris and Hanwha Aerospace additional speed up efforts to proliferate resilient autonomy.”
This week, Defend AI efficiently demonstrated its Hivemind software program flying a Basic Atomics Aeronautical Methods Inc. (To-Asi) MQ-20 Avenger drone throughout a February Orange Flag train. The businesses stated the demo marks the primary in a collection of a number of autonomous flights deliberate for this yr.
“This flight showcased how superior autonomous programs can seamlessly function on open-architecture platforms with out vendor lock, making certain warfighters have entry to one of the best mission autonomy options accessible,” stated Mike Atwood, vp of superior packages at GA-ASI.
“We partnered with Defend AI to deliver confirmed autonomy experience and a shared dedication to delivering cutting-edge capabilities for the warfighter,” he added. “GA-ASI is constructing an open platform that helps these sorts of business collaborations, which is essential to accelerating the way forward for autonomous aviation and making certain mission-ready autonomy options.”
A GA-ASI MQ-20 Avenger drone, which demonstrated the Hivemind autonomy software program final month. Supply: Defend AI
L3 Harris collaborates, invests in autonomy
Defend AI’s financing was accomplished with main participation from strategic buyers L3Harris and Hanwha Aerospace, in addition to participation from present buyers together with Andreessen Horowitz, U.S. Revolutionary Expertise, and Washington Harbour.
“The necessity for superior autonomy has by no means been extra pressing, and Defend AI is proving that autonomy at scale isn’t solely attainable however inevitable,” stated Christopher E. Kubasik, chair and CEO of L3Harris. “Their dedication to pushing the boundaries of AI-driven autonomy aligns with our Trusted Disruptor technique, the place we companion to speed up the supply of AI-enabled options and rising applied sciences to fulfill our prospects’ wants quicker and extra effectively.”
Defend AI additionally famous a number of profitable milestones in 2024 and up to date expertise integrations akin to mission autonomy work with L3Harris.
