The Cloud and Artificial Intelligence infrastructure of the FCAS program was entrusted by Berlin to the HIS consortium formed by the German SSE and the American IBM.
The information has gone relatively unnoticed until now. However, it is surprising. Indeed, in a press release published on August 30, the BAAINBw, understand, the federal office in charge of supporting the Bundeswehr for equipment, information technologies and services, presented the consortium selected to develop the infrastructures artificial intelligence of the FCAS program.
**The HIS consortium to develop the FCAS artificial intelligence backbone**
This consortium, called HIS, brings together Helsing and Schönhofer Sales and Engineering GmbH (SSE) belonging to the Rohde & Schwarz group, as well as, and here is the surprise, IBM Deutschland GmbH, German subsidiary of the American IT giant, based in Friborg.
According to the press release, the contract for the delivery of AI infrastructure by the consortium was signed on August 7. This depends on the Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS) pillar of the FCAS program, led by Germany.
Beyond the statements of circumstances, on the interest of artificial intelligence for a program like this, the press release also lets us know that the architecture (backbone) produced within the framework of this contract, will be based on the American secure Cloud “VS-Cloud”, as well as solutions produced by RedHat, a subsidiary of the American company, and Secunet Security Networks AG, a digital security company based in Essen.
The choice of the American company by the BAAINBw as the main architect of the FCAS’s AI solution is not without consequences. Indeed, since the Cloud Act of 2018, the American federal authorities have had certain extraterritorial prerogatives over all digital systems designed by American companies, or by exploiting the technologies.
This choice is all the more surprising given that there are European industrial players, including within the scope of the European program, who are developing comparable solutions. This is particularly the case of the French Thales which is increasing its investments both in the field of artificial intelligence and the sovereign cloud.
**Risks for Strategic Independence**
It is likely, as was the case with the motorization of the Eurodrone RPAS drone attributed to a US-designed turboprop rather than the French model currently being certified, that the German authorities obtained from the United States, all the necessary guarantees regarding the absence of interference from Washington in this matter.
However, and as France experienced in 2019, when Donald Trump included in the ITAR list a component used by the SCALP missile to block a Rafale sale to Egypt, it is much easier and faster to change legislation, than to modify the technological architecture of defense equipment.
That said, according to internal sources in the program, the arbitration announced here would only concern a purely German aspect of the pillar in question, and will not, in fact, be able to interfere with the French fleet, in particular the aircraft which will put into operation deterrence in the decades to come.
From a purely German point of view, the use of an American service provider, even if it were as strategic as IBM to constitute the backbone of the system’s artificial intelligence service, is, in fact, much less restrictive than it could be for France who is traditionally more autonomous vis-à-vis the United States than Germany, the latter having entrusted its own deterrence to Washington.
The fact remains that the choice of an American partner, while there are European alternatives, is as revealing of German inclinations as it is contrary to the initial philosophy of the FCAS program, which was to make it possible to develop European strategic autonomy, particularly in these areas.
Please don’t. Make it european or don’t make it at all.
IBM has not had a good reputation as a tech company in the US for quite some time now. Is the German subsidiary any better?
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The Cloud and Artificial Intelligence infrastructure of the FCAS program was entrusted by Berlin to the HIS consortium formed by the German SSE and the American IBM.
The information has gone relatively unnoticed until now. However, it is surprising. Indeed, in a press release published on August 30, the BAAINBw, understand, the federal office in charge of supporting the Bundeswehr for equipment, information technologies and services, presented the consortium selected to develop the infrastructures artificial intelligence of the FCAS program.
**The HIS consortium to develop the FCAS artificial intelligence backbone**
This consortium, called HIS, brings together Helsing and Schönhofer Sales and Engineering GmbH (SSE) belonging to the Rohde & Schwarz group, as well as, and here is the surprise, IBM Deutschland GmbH, German subsidiary of the American IT giant, based in Friborg.
According to the press release, the contract for the delivery of AI infrastructure by the consortium was signed on August 7. This depends on the Next Generation Weapon System (NGWS) pillar of the FCAS program, led by Germany.
Beyond the statements of circumstances, on the interest of artificial intelligence for a program like this, the press release also lets us know that the architecture (backbone) produced within the framework of this contract, will be based on the American secure Cloud “VS-Cloud”, as well as solutions produced by RedHat, a subsidiary of the American company, and Secunet Security Networks AG, a digital security company based in Essen.
The choice of the American company by the BAAINBw as the main architect of the FCAS’s AI solution is not without consequences. Indeed, since the Cloud Act of 2018, the American federal authorities have had certain extraterritorial prerogatives over all digital systems designed by American companies, or by exploiting the technologies.
This choice is all the more surprising given that there are European industrial players, including within the scope of the European program, who are developing comparable solutions. This is particularly the case of the French Thales which is increasing its investments both in the field of artificial intelligence and the sovereign cloud.
**Risks for Strategic Independence**
It is likely, as was the case with the motorization of the Eurodrone RPAS drone attributed to a US-designed turboprop rather than the French model currently being certified, that the German authorities obtained from the United States, all the necessary guarantees regarding the absence of interference from Washington in this matter.
However, and as France experienced in 2019, when Donald Trump included in the ITAR list a component used by the SCALP missile to block a Rafale sale to Egypt, it is much easier and faster to change legislation, than to modify the technological architecture of defense equipment.
That said, according to internal sources in the program, the arbitration announced here would only concern a purely German aspect of the pillar in question, and will not, in fact, be able to interfere with the French fleet, in particular the aircraft which will put into operation deterrence in the decades to come.
From a purely German point of view, the use of an American service provider, even if it were as strategic as IBM to constitute the backbone of the system’s artificial intelligence service, is, in fact, much less restrictive than it could be for France who is traditionally more autonomous vis-à-vis the United States than Germany, the latter having entrusted its own deterrence to Washington.
The fact remains that the choice of an American partner, while there are European alternatives, is as revealing of German inclinations as it is contrary to the initial philosophy of the FCAS program, which was to make it possible to develop European strategic autonomy, particularly in these areas.
Please don’t. Make it european or don’t make it at all.
IBM has not had a good reputation as a tech company in the US for quite some time now. Is the German subsidiary any better?
At least they didn’t let SAP do it..