VIA Among Teams Competing in AFWERX Energy Showcase
AFWERX, the catalyst for fostering innovation within the U.S. Air Force, announced VIA as one of the 179 participating teams selected from across the globe competing to Reimagining Energy for the DoD.
The AFWERX Challenge is centered around six topics – Fixed and Mobile Energy Generation, Energy Transmission and Distribution, Fixed and Mobile Energy Storage, New Warfighting and Operational Equipment, Data Availability for Improved Planning and Decision Making, and Energy Culture, Policy, and Education. The proposals selected to advance represent innovative solutions to allow for more effective warfighting and humanitarian missions less reliant on fossil fuels.
Located in Somerville, Massachusetts, VIA is competing in the Data Availability for Improved Planning and Decision Making Challenge alongside a diverse group of teams – originating from the vast regions of North America, Europe, Australia and other allied countries – that represent entrepreneurial startups, small businesses, large enterprises, academic institutions and research labs all vying to Reimagine Energy for the Department of Defense.
“The AFWERX Reimagining Energy for the DoD Challenge is critical to our mission of increasing collaboration between large businesses and entrepreneurs to accelerate solutions for the Air Force,” stated Mark Rowland of AFWERX. “On behalf of AFWERX and the Department of Defense, we congratulate the teams advancing to the next phase. Their contributions are invaluable and have the potential to create game-changing results across the Air Force enterprise.”
The Data Availability for Improved Planning and Decision Making Challenge strives to improve our available data and analytics capabilities around the generation, transmission, storage, and use of energy. The Department of Defense (DoD) consumes large amounts of operational and facility energy to provide a combat-credible force. The DoD is one of the largest single consumers of energy globally, and the Air Force is the largest user of fuel energy in the US Government. The way we generate, transmit, store, and use this enormous amount of energy today is both a paramount combat enabler and a potentially crippling vulnerability.
VIA’s solution to the Data Availability for Improved Planning and Decision Making Challenge is to use its platform, Trusted Analytics Chain™ (TAC™) to make energy data available for AI and machine learning analysis 100x faster. TAC™ uses AI and machine learning to clean and harmonize energy data, then connect it to AI predictive models. TAC™ has also supported operational dashboards, visualization tools, benchmarking, and predictive maintenance for energy distribution equipment including transformers and battery storage.
“We’re honored to have been selected by AFWERX to pitch TAC™ and its ability to make data available 100x faster than traditional data science approaches. TAC™ has saved customers hundreds of man hours in analysis and supported tens of millions of dollars in operational decisions. We hope to provide the DoD with that level of value,” said Joe Babiec, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at VIA.
To learn more about the Reimagining Energy for the DoD Challenges, click here.
For more information on VIA’s solution to this challenge, watch VIA’s 5-minute pitch video.
ABOUT VIA
VIA helps governments, regulators, and power providers deliver $200Bn in energy every year to more than 100 million customers. VIA’s privacy-preserving analytics software, Trusted Analytics Chain™ (TAC™) reduces the cost and improves the quality of service of electricity transmission and distribution using AI and blockchain technologies. TAC™ (patents pending) is the bridge that securely connects power company data, distributed across many locations, to potential AI solutions. VIA established the Global Data Asset Collaborative™ (GDAC™), built on top of TAC™, to allow multiple companies to securely pool data for more accurate analytics. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, VIA has received an InnovateMass grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and has been featured in Wired and Inc. Magazine for its leadership in technology innovation. For more information, please visit www.solvewithvia.com.
ABOUT AFWERX
Established in 2017, AFWERX is a product of the U.S. Air Force, directly envisioned by former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Her vision of AFWERX — to solve some of the toughest challenges that the Air Force faces through innovation and collaboration amongst our nation’s top subject matter experts. AFWERX serves as a catalyst to unleash new approaches for the warfighter through a growing ecosystem of innovators. AFWERX and the U.S. Air Force are committed to exploring viable solutions and partnerships to further strengthen the Air Force, which could lead to additional prototyping, R&D, and follow-on production contracts.
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AFWERX Media Contacts:
support@afwerxchallenge.com
Marketing@afwerx.af.mil
