The Department of the Air Force (DAF) has chosen HiddenLayer, the leading security provider of artificial intelligence (AI) models and assets, for a STTR Phase II contract worth $1.8 million. The contract is focused on AI Detection & Response and will help the DAF tackle its most critical problems. In order to expedite the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) processes, the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to change the pool of potential applicants by providing opportunities to small businesses, expediting the proposal to award timelines for small businesses, and removing bureaucratic overhead by consistently implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. As of February 9, 2024, HiddenLayer started its journey to produce and provide innovative capabilities that would boost the national defence of the United States of America. In 2018, the DAF launched the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program, expanding the variety of inventions the DAF financed.
Chris “Tito” Sestito, Co-Founder and CEO of HiddenLayer, said, “It’s a huge milestone for us to be able to expand the use of our AISec Platform to secure the US Department of Defence’s most important models while also speeding commercialization in the private sector.” “We are honoured to collaborate with AFWERX and researchers at the University at Buffalo to advance research on adversarial AI attack methods, further driving our mission to help enterprises protect their most valuable technology.”
HiddenLayer, a top provider of AI security, offers a platform safeguarding machine learning models without adding complexity or needing access to raw data. Founded by experts in security and ML, it defends against attacks like inference, bypass, and model theft. Backed by strategic investors including M12, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Capital One Ventures, HiddenLayer aims to protect enterprise AI effectively.
AFWERX, the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, channels American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to tackle DAF’s key challenges. With around 325 personnel across six hubs, AFWERX manages a $1.4 billion annual budget. Since 2019, it has awarded 4,697 contracts worth over $2.6 billion, enhancing the U.S. defence industrial base and accelerating technology transition to operational capability.
