Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) and Shield AI announced today that the companies are partnering to deliver a new era of AI-enabled, software-defined autonomous solutions for the U.S. government.
The partnership will combine Booz Allen’s deep mission engineering expertise with Shield AI’s Hivemind Enterprise platform, initially focused on building solutions for the Department of Defense. The resulting collaboration will accelerate the development and integration of advanced AI control systems and autonomy into a wide variety of uncrewed systems, enabling their rapid deployment into threat scenarios to give the U.S. military essential decision advantage.
The capabilities will give armed forces an edge over adversaries and help protect troops in complex, dynamic operational environments. Shield AI’s Hivemind software can pilot autonomous vehicles ranging from one-way attack drones to F-16s, and support swarming operations – even when GPS and communications are jammed. The technological collaboration also has potential applications across other high-priority national security missions.
“Our adversaries are evolving faster than ever, and Booz Allen is building, scaling and investing in autonomous systems to redefine how America fights and wins,” said Steve Escaravage, president of Booz Allen’s Defense Technology Group. “Shield AI is pioneering AI-powered autonomy, and this partnership catalyzes the capabilities of both teams to support our nation’s no-fail missions.”
“The best technology is useless unless it can be quickly and seamlessly deployed in real-life, high-stakes environments,” said Brandon Tseng, president and co-founder of Shield AI and a former U.S. Navy SEAL. “That’s why we chose to partner with Booz Allen. They know the technology, they understand what warfighters need, and they can see to it that we swiftly accomplish this mission — maintaining superiority over adversaries and protecting service members.”
Booz Allen recently made its largest corporate venture capital investment to date in Shield AI’s F-1 strategic funding round, designed to help expand the deployment of Hivemind Enterprise and empower the industrial base to build more autonomy products.
As the leading provider of AI and cyber to the federal government, Booz Allen moves rapidly to bring exceptional tech superiority to help the government drive results, save money, and ensure efficiency. The company invests and partners across the commercial technology ecosystem to jointly build and scale solutions that are essential for maintaining America’s security and technological supremacy.
Shield AI develops and deploys autonomy solutions and intelligent aircraft to help the U.S., and its allies maintain a decisive edge in contested environments. Operational since 2018, Hivemind Enterprise has powered AI-driven flight across Shield AI’s aircraft and other platforms. It enables developers and organizations to build, test, and deploy autonomy at scale, offering a multi-year head start with platform products and AI-driven toolsets.
“Our investment in Shield AI expands and accelerates state-of-the-art autonomy for the most important U.S. missions. This directly aligns with Booz Allen’s long-term commitment to using advanced technology to deliver faster, better outcomes for our nation,” said Booz Allen Chief Financial Officer Matt Calderone. “We remain focused on accelerating the next generation technologies that will transform our future.”
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