The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is turning to its industry partners for cutting-edge capabilities to support military platforms, according to a broad agency announcement (BAA) released Sept. 20 on Sam.gov.
The BAA asks vendors to provide white papers on “research, development, integration, test, and evaluation of technologies/techniques” that would research “computational diversity and efficient computing architectures, machine learning and artificial intelligence in embedded system and architectures, computing at the edge, nano-computing, space computing, and robust algorithms and applications.”
A particular area of interest for the AFRL is innovative research to explore and develop “computational capabilities” to enable greater system adaptability, autonomy, and intelligence of military platforms.
“This includes high-performance embedded computing that supports on-board processing using advanced machine learning applications, robust and secure machine learning technology to strengthen and defend military applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, non-conventional neuromorphic systems and applications, tools to increase the productivity of developing applications, methods, and architectures that can provide dramatic improvements in the performance/cost of systems,” the BAA states.
Another technical area of interest for the AFRL is nano-computing, a future technology that can potentially redefine air and space systems at the edge from computer vision and knowledge extraction to autonomous flight and decision-making, the BAA states.
However, AFRL said it cannot realize the competitive advantages of nano-computing with current complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies and novel architectures.
The AFRL believes that “only with new, CMOS compatible materials and devices that enhance and/or complement existing nanoelectronics will the acceleration of nano-computing occur,” the BAA states.
In addition, BAA seeks research on “current and emerging nanoelectronics for information processing towards novel bio-inspired computing architectures that utilize ultra-low consumed power.”
The AFRL is also interested in understanding and developing “computationally intelligent systems” with increased perception, adaptability, resiliency, and autonomy for energy-efficient and agile Air Force and Space Force platforms.
Some applications for the technology include pattern recognition and signature analysis, autonomous adaptive operations, human-machine collaboration, and online learning in neural networks.
The BAA highlights “the hardware component of energy efficiency, favoring utilization of advancements in computational neuroscience, nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, high-performance computing, and material science” as a particular interest.
Total funding for this BAA is approximately $497.9 million. The AFRL anticipates making multiple awards, with individual awards ranging between $1 to $3 million. The BAA does note that vendors could make awards up to $99.9 million.
AFRL recommends vendors submit white papers by Oct. 4 for opportunities aligned with funding for fiscal year 2024.
