Preligens, a military artificial intelligence (AI) specialist, has joined the defence multinational Safran in a €220m ($244.2m) French industrial deal on 2 September 2024.
The announcement came after an exclusive negotiation process that began in June 2024.
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Founded in 2016, Preligens offers AI analytics solutions for high-resolution imagery, full motion video and acoustic signals. The company develops algorithms and software to analyse and automatically detect and identify objects of military interest, particularly through the use of commercial and government satellite images.
Critically, the start-up says it trains its algorithms using enormous amounts of data from multiple sensors with end-to-end security and traceability.
With this alliance, Safran Electronics & Defense, specialising in optronics, space communications and inertial navigation, further demonstrates its commitment to AI.
GlobalData intelligence forecasts the total AI market – including platforms, services, and hardware – will be worth $908.7bn in 2030, having grown at a compound annual growth rate of 35.2% from $81.3bn in 2022.
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By GlobalDataRationale behind the acquisition
Many players in the defence industry view the perpetually up-and-coming technology as overhyped due to the growing prominence one influential area of the market: generative AI.
Nevertheless, Preligens’ services offer Safran an AI capability that is capturing the imagination of many sector enthusiasts. That is, to process information on a scale beyond the ability of human ability and decision-making.
Specifically, this new alliance will enable Safran to accelerate its digital transformation roadmap, notably by diversifying Preligens’ AI solutions to apply them to Industry 4.0.
For example, automated AI-powered image analytics can assist quality controllers in charge of inspecting critical parts by using digital imagery to help identify anomalies.
“By combining our strengths,” Franck Saudo, chief executive of Safran Defense and Electronics, commented, “we’re determined not only to support the development of Preligens’ AI solutions, but also to jointly open up entirely new areas of AI application in aviation, defense and space.”
