Armada aims remote deployment of AI power to battlefields using Starlink

Ameya Paleja

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Armada, a startup based out of San Francisco in the US, is using SpaceX's satellite-based internet service Starlink to take artificial intelligence (AI) to remote places around the world. Interestingly, the company is not directly collaborating with SpaceX on this but has built solutions that work with the space-based service.

AI applications that have blossomed after ChatGPT's introduction last year have all relied on the centralization of information into a data model that runs on some of the most powerful computers assembled in recent times. While this approach can work for designing and initial testing, if AI has to be used in challenging environments using real-time data, the analysis of information has to be decentralized.

Cutting edge AI is possible even on an oil rig using Armada.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has been building a powerful resource to make high-speed internet available in far-flung places. However, the company has been so focused on scaling up its network that it has not built a software stack on top of its satellites. This is where Armada hopes to cash in. Coming out of stealth this week, the company has unveiled a bunch of products that make it possible to take AI to places where data is generated.

"There is an impossibly large volume of data created at the edge, and regrettably, virtually nothing is done with it," said Jon Runyan, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Armada, in a press release.

Data centers and software stack

Processing high volumes of data is not possible without massive-scale data centers. Since these cannot be built in remote locations, Armada has devised a simple yet effective method to make them available. These are rugged and modular data centers, called Galleons, consisting of advanced high-performance GPUs and multicore CPUs. The infrastructure is packed in container-sized units which can be made mobile on flatbed trucks.

While Galleons can connect to the internet using 5G, fiber, or other network infrastructures, the company has gone a step further to float Armada Connect, a dedicated operating system to connect using Starlink assets. Using this, businesses can bundle multiple Starlink terminals into one and increase connection bandwidth to levels that even SpaceX cannot offer, the company claims.

Armada's Galleon containerizes data centers

Additionally, Armada is also launching a marketplace where its customers can access apps developed by itself and others. These apps could offer a range of functions, from regulatory compliance to providing maintenance alerts.

AI on the edge

Research firm Gartner estimates that 75 percent of enterprise data will originate at the edge. This estimation is not for a faraway future, but just three years from now, so Armada is looking to tap into an upcoming industry demand. The company has also developed EdgeAI, which offers a spectrum of generative AI, multimodal AI, and real-time machine learning capabilities used for industry-specific applications.

Armada does not have a customer base as of now, but it is exploring use cases far and wide, ranging from oil rigs to battlefields. The company's containerized data centers offer a plug-and-play solution at remote mining locations as against the months that would be needed to set up a data processing center.