Pentagon awards NODA AI $100M for autonomy software

The U.S. Department of War has awarded NODA AI a $100 million contract to scale the company’s autonomous mission command software across the Joint Force, the Austin-based company announced Monday.

The award builds on a smaller contract NODA won in July, when the department awarded the company $10 million to develop MAESTRO, orchestration software designed to project a commander’s intent across autonomous drones regardless of manufacturer. That earlier work tied directly into LUCAS, the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System already used in combat by CENTCOM’s Task Force Scorpion Strike in the Middle East. NODA said the new contract validates its broader orchestration technology and its ability to project commander’s intent across mixed autonomous systems at larger scale.

“This is the evolution of drone warfare. As the Department continuously seeks better autonomous capabilities, NODA focuses on how to cohesively leverage those capabilities in combined maneuver,” said Philong Duong, CEO of NODA AI.

“We think about the future of manned/unmanned teaming differently than others,” Duong said. “We focus on providing adaptation and optionality to the commander. The ability to task drones is table stakes. We’ve developed a software-defined effects engine that understands capabilities and limitations, and outputs desired effects in often non-obvious ways.”

NODA’s platform combines two pieces of software. One, called URZA, interprets a commander’s intent and assesses the capabilities of available kinetic, non-kinetic and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. The other is a software-defined effects engine that translates that intent into coordinated action across manned and unmanned teams. NODA said the two systems are designed to keep missions executing according to a commander’s intent even when communications are degraded, without requiring hardware or software changes to the underlying government or manufacturer platforms.

NODA’s integration work has already extended beyond LUCAS to other systems in the Pentagon’s autonomy portfolio, including MUSIC, Vigilant Spirit and Arbitrator, according to the company’s July contract announcement. The company said its network of integrated government and original equipment manufacturer platforms spans every physical domain, from subsurface to the stratosphere, and grows with each new integration.

NODA AI was founded by Marine Corps veterans and AI practitioners and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company raised a $25 million Series A round in February led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with participation from Booz Allen Ventures.