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Army: Pennsylvania Tech Hub Perfect Area for Speeding Up AI Acquisition
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Army: Pennsylvania Tech Hub Perfect Area for Speeding Up AI Acquisition

The Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C) in Pittsburgh has identified the growing technology hub in Pennsylvania as the perfect location to work on its goal of expediting acquisition timelines for AI offerings.

The U.S. Army said Tuesday that AI2C connects military personnel with neighboring Pittsburgh-based innovators, tech start-ups and companies and research facilities that are focused on producing AI products at speed.

Some of the organizations the service cited are “unicorns” Argo AI and Duolingo, government-affiliated entities Software Engineering Institute and Rand, and Carnegie Mellon University, home of AI2C.

According to the Army, service leaders specifically picked the Pennsylvania city for its AI center to have an influence in ongoing automated technology developments taking place in the area.

The Army also chose the city to tap into the Pennsylvania knowledge base in support of the center's goal to integrate AI strategy, synchronize related development efforts and establish foundations for operationalized automation across the service. 

In line with its goal, AI2C plans to seek defense innovators' assistance and learn from academic research to help in testing multiple AI technologies on military tactical platforms in the future.

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NOAA Allots $171M for Climate Change Mitigation Projects; Administrator Rick Spinrad Quoted
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NOAA Allots $171M for Climate Change Mitigation Projects; Administrator Rick Spinrad Quoted

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has invested a combined amount of $171 million in 72 projects that aim to address the effects of climate change.

NOAA said Tuesday that it issued grants to fund these projects that universities, research institutions and government-partnered entities will work on over the next five years. 

The investment's overall scope includes environmental justice, ocean observations, COVID-19's effects on air quality, flood resilience planning and how NOAA can improve climate models. 

“These new NOAA investments are essential to improve understanding of how to mitigate these impacts and bolster community resilience to climate change," said Rick Spinrad, NOAA administrator.

The agency's Climate Program Office (CPO) selected the awardees via a peer review based on quality and equity standards. CPO's Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments program, one of the efforts supported by the investment, has added the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to its geographical coverage.

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White House OSTP Asks Public for Input on Biometrics Use Cases, Policies
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White House OSTP Asks Public for Input on Biometrics Use Cases, Policies

The White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) seeks feedback on how biometric technologies have performed in organizations and how they affect individuals emotionally and mentally. 

OSTP wants to understand how both public and private sector organizations have used and regulated biometric technologies, such as facial recognition, in the past and present, the office said Oct. 4th in a Federal Register notice.

The effort aims to identify the users of biometrics, policies governing how the technology is used, domains where the technology is applicable and impacted stakeholders.

The government has observed an increase of domains where biometric systems are applicable and seeks to address the concerns that come with that growth.

These concerns include the technology's effects on various demographic groups and its role in the growing usage of surveillance systems. Interested parties may submit responses through Jan. 15, 2022.

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Accenture Acquires Argentinian E-Commerce Agency Glamit
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Accenture Acquires Argentinian E-Commerce Agency Glamit

Accenture, named a 2021 leader in commerce services by Forrester, has completed its acquisition of Argentina-based e-commerce agency, Glamit for an undisclosed sum.

Glamit offers a range of experience design and technology such as e-commerce and platform architecture, brand strategy, digital marketing and direct-to-consumer services, Business Wire reported Wednesday.

The boutique agency joins Accenture Interactive’s robust e-commerce and marketing offerings, including Accenture’s SynOps platform, which focus on supporting the implementation and operation of transformative consumer experiences.

Flaviano Faleiro, president of growth markets for Accenture Interactive said the acquisition of Glamit is aligned with Accenture’s vision for transforming the Latin American commerce landscape.

“With them as part of the Interactive family, we will help our clients in the region balance the complexities and simplicity of digital commerce and create exceptional experiences that delight consumers and drive brand success,” Faleiro added.

CEO of Glamit, Andrés Dorfman said the transaction will allow the company to extend its reach and increase its market impact while driving improved consumer experiences for its customers.

Glamit has been recognized by the eCommerce Institute, Mercado Pago and Great Place to Work in Argentina as a leading e-commerce company across multiple industries, serving local and international clients. 

As part of the transaction, Glamit’s 260 employees will transition to Accenture Interactive.

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AT&T, Blue Wireless Partnership Brings Notecard IoT Optimization Product to Market
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AT&T, Blue Wireless Partnership Brings Notecard IoT Optimization Product to Market

AT&T has collaborated with Blues Wireless to develop and bring to market the company’s Notecard product, which is designed to accelerate and optimize Internet of Things device and application deployment through secure cloud connectivity for global enterprise and government clients.

"Businesses increasingly recognize the potential for IoT technology to materially improve their operations, create entirely new revenue streams, reduce their environmental footprint and realize the efficiencies of scale,” said William Stovall, vice president of mobility, IoT and 5G for AT&T.

Notecard is a System-on-Module that enables developers to embed secure global connectivity in a broad range of commercial and industrial products designed for IoT use through AT&T’s LTE-M and NB-IoT low-power wide-area (LPWA) networks, AT&T said Wednesday.

Stovall continued, asserting that Notecard will serve as an “all-in-one solution” to help customers adopt IoT technologies and programs in the modernization and advancement of their businesses.

Global market intelligence firm, IDC, predicts that the total number of connected Internet of Things devices will reach nearly 40 billion worldwide by 2025, but enterprise-scale IoT development and adoption has been delayed largely by WiFi connectivity hurdles.

Blues Wireless’ Notecard product eliminates the operational constraints posed by WiFi-related challenges by instead utilizing cellular connectivity to manage devices, connectivity and data remotely, providing critical data insights for manufacturers to better understand how their devices perform and operate in the field.

Notecard is expected to improve battery life and coverage as well as lower costs in a range of IoT-enabled wearables, home appliances, commercial appliances and construction equipment across automotive, healthcare, industrial, supply chain and manufacturing industries.

Sandra Wendelken, senior research analyst of mobile services and software for IDC said, “Notecard, with embedded AT&T cellular connectivity, can help companies manage expenses by including data costs in up-front device pricing and simplifying the connection process."

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GovCon Expert McAleese: Christine Wormuth, Gen. James McConville on Army’s Force Structure, Modernization Programs
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GovCon Expert McAleese: Christine Wormuth, Gen. James McConville on Army’s Force Structure, Modernization Programs

Consulting firm McAleese & Associates has issued a report outlining key takeaways from speeches delivered by Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting that kicked off Monday.

Jim McAleese, founder of McAleese & Associates and a three-time Wash100 winner, reported that Wormuth told event attendees that the Army must “ruthlessly prioritize” force structure, infrastructure and modernization in the 2023-2027 Program Objective Memorandum cycle.

Her address also touched on soldier-centered design as the heart of the Army’s “31 + 4” modernization programs and the need for the military branch to pivot to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to deter China.

McConville said Tuesday that people remain the Army’s top priority followed by readiness and modernization.

“Putting people first means taking care of our people so our people can remain ready and transform for the future because the United States Army must be ready to fight and win as a member of the joint force in order to protect the nation,” he said at the three-day AUSA event.

He noted that the Army plans to deploy long-range hypersonic weapon, precision strike missiles and the Next-Generation Squad Weapon and test prototypes of its next-generation assault and attack aircraft and Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, among other programs, by fiscal year 2023.

“All told, we’ll have 24 of our 31 plus 4 signature systems in the hands of soldiers by FY23,” McConville said of the service’s priority modernization programs.

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Heidi Shyu Highlights DOD’s Need for Trusted AI, Machine Learning
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Heidi Shyu Highlights DOD’s Need for Trusted AI, Machine Learning

Heidi Shyu, undersecretary for research and engineering at the Department of Defense and a previous Wash100 Award winner, discussed several technology areas that are critical to DOD’s efforts in countering adversaries and one of those is artificial intelligence, Defense One reported Monday.

“Industry is spending billions of dollars on AI ML [machine and learning] and billions on autonomy. What I want to do is make sure we converge on trusted AI ML, trusted autonomy… In my mind, we have to drive towards affordable, attributable, survivable unmanned platforms. To do that, it's gonna be critical to have trusted AI ML and trusted autonomy,” Shyu told the publication in an interview.

When it comes to cybersecurity, she highlighted the need to speed up detection of cyber vulnerabilities and the importance of open architectures.

“What you don't want to do is lock into one architecture and so, as the threats evolve, you're stuck with a legacy architecture. So, if we have a modular open architecture…with a secure processor that's able to evolve at the speed of commercial technology, that's what's going to be critical,” Shyu said.

Shyu also shared her insights on hypersonics, microprocessors, space and biotechnology.

Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations

ExecutiveBiz, sister site of GovConDaily and part of the Executive Mosaic digital media umbrella, will host a virtual event about securing the supply chain on Oct. 26. Visit ExecutiveBiz.com to sign up for the “Supply Chain Cybersecurity: Revelations and Innovations” event.

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DARPA Unveils Coded Visibility Program; Rohith Chandrasekar Quoted
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DARPA Unveils Coded Visibility Program; Rohith Chandrasekar Quoted

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has launched a new program that seeks to develop tunable obscurants designed to deliver asymmetric advantage to soldiers by improving their visibility on the battlefield while countering adversaries’ detection and vision systems.

“Coded Visibility aims to develop new types of obscurant particulates that can be tailored to allow U.S. and allied forces to see the enemy through the plume in one direction, while the adversary is unable to see through the plume in the opposite direction,” Rohith Chandrasekar, program manager at DARPA’s defense sciences office, said in a statement published Tuesday.

“We call this passive asymmetry, somewhat like the concept of privacy-window film that allows vision through glass in one direction and not the other,” Chandrasekar added.

DARPA will hold a Proposers Day for the Coded Visibility program on Oct. 21.

Chandrasekar said DARPA will also use novel materials to explore active asymmetry through the program.

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Naval Surface Warfare Center Prepares to Establish New Radiation Facility; Shana Goodman Quoted
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Naval Surface Warfare Center Prepares to Establish New Radiation Facility; Shana Goodman Quoted

Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division, has broken ground on what would become a radiation testing facility for various defense systems. 

The future Radiation Modernization facility will feature new testing equipment as the Navy assesses the radiation of missile defense, space and nuclear deterrence systems, Naval Sea Systems Command said Friday. The facility's groundbreaking ceremony took place on Oct. 4th.

“This new facility will house a new Short Pulse Gamma (SPG) system, required shielding, and space for required maintenance," said Shana Goodman, the division manager for NSWC Crane's strategic microelectronics division.

She said the military has been working since 2019 to plan the new facility, which is funded by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. Goodman noted that the facility will be ready for use before the end of fiscal year 2023.

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DOE to Issue FOA for Regional Clean Hydrogen Studies
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DOE to Issue FOA for Regional Clean Hydrogen Studies

The Department of Energy (DOE) plans to issue a new funding opportunity announcement for studies on how to streamline regional clean hydrogen deployments.

The effort aims to reduce clean hydrogen costs, create jobs and address environmental challenges as the Biden administration seeks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, DOE said Friday.

The department believes co-locating clean hydrogen in specific regions can help the government meet hydrogen-related goals.

The FOA's supported projects will assess hydrogen producers, consumers and infrastructure to determine how clean hydrogen deployments would impact regions environmentally, socially and economically.

DOE announced its intent to issue the FOA as part of the weeklong Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day celebration. The announcement also serves as a response to feedback from DOE's Hydrogen Program request for information and the first Hydrogen Shot Summit.

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