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Defense Innovation Unit
The Defense Innovation Unit is a U.S. Department of Defense organization that helps the military rapidly adopt technology from commercial companies. It acts as a fast-moving bridge between the Pentagon and tech hubs like Silicon Valley to solve national security problems.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is a Department of Defense (DoD) organization under the Office of the Secretary of Defense that accelerates the adoption of leading commercial technology for national security purposes. DIU utilizes fast, flexible contracting methods like the Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) to prototype and field solutions from non-traditional vendors across focus areas such as AI, autonomy, cyber, space, and human systems.
BACKGROUND
The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), also called Unit X, is a United States Department of Defense (DoD) organization founded to help the U.S. military make faster use of emerging commercial technologies. Launched in 2015, the organization has been called "the Pentagon's Innovation Experiment". DIU is staffed by civilian and both active duty and reserve military personnel. The organization is headquartered in Mountain View, California – Silicon Valley – with offices in Austin, Boston, Chicago, and the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- DIU
- DIUx
- DoD Innovation Hub
- Pentagon Tech Scout
- Defense Innovation Unit Experimental
USAGE NOTE
DIU is often referenced in discussions about accelerating defense acquisition and bridging the gap between the military and the commercial tech industry.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Defense Innovation Unit.
A defense technology company that builds AI-powered software and hardware for military agencies. Anduril has partnered with DIU on multiple projects, including counter-UAS (unmanned aerial systems) and command and control systems using their Lattice OS platform.
A software company specializing in big data analytics. Palantir has a long history of working with the Department of Defense and has collaborated with DIU to provide data integration and AI platforms that enable decision-making for military commanders.
An artificial intelligence company focused on building AI pilots for aircraft. Through DIU, Shield AI has worked to deploy its Hivemind AI pilot technology to automate military aircraft, from small drones to fighter jets.
A data platform for AI that provides high-quality training data. Scale AI has secured contracts through DIU to provide data labeling services, which are critical for developing and testing computer vision and other AI algorithms for defense applications.
An Earth observation company that provides high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. DIU has contracted with Capella Space to provide the DoD with persistent, all-weather satellite monitoring capabilities.
A software company focused on accelerating the delivery of commercial software to the U.S. government. Their GameWarden platform, a DevSecOps environment, is used by DIU to help commercial tech companies more easily deploy their applications for national security use.
A company that provides simulation and validation software for autonomous systems. Originally focused on the automotive industry, Applied Intuition has partnered with DIU to adapt its simulation platform for testing and training autonomous military ground vehicles.
A company that operates a constellation of satellites to identify and geolocate radio frequency (RF) signals. They work with DIU to provide commercial RF data and analytics for enhanced maritime domain awareness and other intelligence applications.