US Navy awards $100 million AI contract to detect mines in days instead of months

US Navy signs deal with AI firm for training underwater drones to detect mines in Strait of Hormuz -- $100 million would allow drone minesweepers to update their detection algorithms in days instead of months

This should make clearing undersea mines faster and less dangerous for U.S. Navy sailors. The U.S. Navy just signed a $99.7 million deal with Domino Data Lab, a San Francisco-based startup, to develop AI tech that would allow its undersea minesweepers to learn about new and unseen mines in days instead of months. Reuters reports that this new technology is intended for use in the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint in global sea lanes that Iran has mined to limit the movement of oil and cargo ships since the start of the U.S.-Iran war earlier this year. The software will use multiple sensor suites, such as side-scan sonar and visual imaging systems, to monitor various other AI detection models operating in the field. This should allow operators to identify failures and push corrections as it operates, rather than sending information back to a lab and waiting for AI developers to train a new model to handle novel threats. "Mine-hunting used to be a job for ships. It's becoming a job for AI. The Navy is paying for the platform that lets it train, govern, and field that AI at a speed required for contested waters that block global trade and imperil sailors," Domino CEO Thomas Robinson told the news outlet. "If there were UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) in the Baltic Sea trained on Russian ⁠mines, and then they needed to be deployed to the Strait of Hormuz to detect Iranian mines, with Domino's technology, the Navy could be ready in a week rather than a year." The Pentagon has increasingly been turning towards AI to bolster its capabilities, with the Department of War announcing deals with seven AI tech companies -- namely SpaceX, OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Reflection, Microsoft, and Amazon Web Services -- to deploy LLMs across its classified networks. These tools are designed to sift through large volumes of data and identify patterns that are simply impossible for people to process in such a short time, thereby speeding up data analysis and decision-making. DARPA, its independent research arm, has also called for proposals to develop the next-generation deep-sea underwater drone that can be built quickly. The U.S. and Iran have had an on-again, off-again ceasefire in place for several weeks now. This makes mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz high-risk, especially since strikes could occur at any moment and without warning. Deploying AI technology on undersea drones will reduce this risk, especially by making mine detection and removal much faster. Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.

US Navy turns to AI firm Domino for options to counter Iranian mines

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is ramping up its AI capabilities to hunt for Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes, a recently awarded contract shows. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the strait, a vital sea route for oil shipments, whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy. Sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the ⁠U.S. and Iran in their weeks-long war. The up to $100 million contract for the San Francisco artificial intelligence company Domino Data Lab could quicken this process with software that can teach underwater drones to identify new types of mines in a matter of days. "Mine-hunting used to be a job for ships," Thomas Robinson, Domino's chief operating officer, said in an interview with Reuters. "It's becoming a job for AI. The Navy is paying for the platform that lets it train, govern, and field that AI at a speed required for contested waters that block global trade and imperil sailors." Last week, the U.S. Navy awarded the up to $99.7 million contract to expand Domino's role ⁠as the AI backbone of the Navy's Project AMMO - Accelerated Machine Learning for Maritime Operations - a program to make underwater mine detection faster, more accurate, and less dependent on human sailors. The software integrates data from multiple sensor types, including side-scan sonar and visual imaging systems, and allows the Navy to monitor how well various AI detection models are performing ⁠in the field, identify failures, and push corrections to improve performance. The core of Domino's pitch - and the Navy's wager - is speed. Before the company's involvement, updating the AI models that power the Navy's unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to recognize new or ⁠previously unseen mines could take up to six months. Domino says it has cut that cycle to days. Robinson illustrated the relevance to the Middle East crisis: "If there were UUVs in the Baltic Sea trained on Russian ⁠mines, and then they needed to be deployed to the Strait of Hormuz to detect Iranian mines, with Domino's technology, the Navy could be ready in a week rather than a year." A Navy spokesman was not immediately able to provide comment. Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Tom Hogue Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Artificial Intelligence Mike Stone Thomson Reuters Mike Stone is a Reuters reporter covering the U.S. arms trade and defense industry. Most recently Mike has been focused on the Golden Dome missile defense shield. Mike also spends a lot of his time writing on Ukraine and how industry has adapted, or faltered as it supports that conflict. Mike, a New Yorker, has extensively covered how the U.S. has supplied Ukraine with weapons, the cadence, decisions and milestones that have had battlefield impacts. Before his time in Washington Mike's coverage focused on mergers and acquisitions for oil and gas companies, financial institutions, defense companies, consumer product makers, retailers, real estate giants, and telecommunications companies.

US Navy Turns to AI Firm Domino for Options to Counter Iranian Mines

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy is ⁠ramping ⁠up its AI capabilities to ⁠hunt for Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes, a recently awarded contract shows. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the strait, a vital sea route for oil shipments, whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy. ⁠Sweeping for ⁠underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran in their weeks-long war. The up to $100 million contract for the San Francisco artificial intelligence company Domino Data Lab could quicken this process with software that can teach underwater drones to identify new types of mines in a matter of days. "Mine-hunting used to be a job for ships," Thomas Robinson, ⁠Domino's ⁠chief operating officer, said in ⁠an interview with Reuters. "It's becoming a job for AI. The Navy is paying for the platform that lets it train, govern, and field ⁠that AI at a speed required for contested waters that block global trade and imperil sailors." Last week, the U.S. Navy awarded the up to $99.7 million contract to expand Domino's role as the AI backbone of the Navy's Project AMMO - Accelerated Machine Learning for Maritime Operations - a program to make underwater ⁠mine detection faster, more accurate, and less dependent on human sailors. The software integrates data ⁠from multiple sensor types, including side-scan sonar and visual imaging systems, and allows the Navy to monitor how well various AI detection models are performing in the field, identify failures, and push corrections to improve performance. The core of Domino's pitch - and the Navy's wager - is speed. Before the company's involvement, updating the AI models that power the Navy's unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to recognize new or previously unseen mines could take up to six months. Domino says it has cut that cycle to days. Robinson illustrated the relevance ⁠to the Middle East crisis: "If there were UUVs in the Baltic Sea trained on Russian mines, and then they needed to be deployed to the Strait of Hormuz to detect Iranian mines, with Domino's technology, the Navy could be ready in a week rather than a year." A Navy spokesman was not immediately able to provide comment. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Tom Hogue)

US Navy turns to AI firm Domino for options to counter Iranian mines

The U.S. Navy is accelerating its artificial intelligence capabilities to detect Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane. A new contract with Domino Data Lab aims to significantly reduce the time it takes to train underwater drones to identify new mine types, potentially cutting a six-month process down to days. The U.S. Navy is ramping up its AI capabilities to hunt for Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes, a recently awarded contract shows. President Donald ⁠Trump ⁠has said the U.S. Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the strait, a vital sea route for oil shipments, whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy. Sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran in their weeks-long war. The up to $100 million contract for the San Francisco artificial intelligence company Domino Data Lab could quicken this process with software that can teach underwater drones to identify new types of mines in a matter ⁠of days. "Mine-hunting used to be a job for ships," Thomas Robinson, Domino's chief operating officer, said in an interview with Reuters. "It's becoming a job for AI. The Navy is ⁠paying for the platform that lets it train, govern, and field that AI at a speed required for contested waters that block global trade and imperil sailors." Last week, the U.S. Navy awarded the up to $99.7 million contract to expand Domino's role as the AI backbone of the Navy's Project AMMO - Accelerated Machine Learning for Maritime Operations - a program to make underwater mine detection faster, more accurate, and less dependent on human sailors. The software integrates data from multiple sensor types, including side-scan sonar and visual imaging systems, and allows the Navy to monitor how well various AI detection models are performing in the field, identify failures, and push corrections to improve performance. The core of Domino's pitch - and the Navy's wager - is speed. ⁠Before the company's involvement, updating the AI models that power the Navy's unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to recognize new or previously unseen mines could take up to six months. Domino says it has cut that cycle to days. Robinson illustrated the relevance to the Middle East crisis: "If there were UUVs in the Baltic Sea trained on Russian mines, and then they needed to be deployed to the Strait of Hormuz to detect Iranian mines, with Domino's technology, the Navy could be ready in a week rather than a year." A Navy spokesman was not immediately able to provide comment. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)

US Navy turns to AI firm Domino for options to counter Iranian mines

The US Navy is ramping up its AI capabilities to hunt for Iranian mines in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical shipping lanes, according to a recently awarded contract. US President Donald Trump has said the US Navy is clearing Iranian mines from the Strait, a vital sea route for oil shipments, whose disruption is increasingly threatening the global economy. Sweeping for underwater explosives could take months despite a tenuous ceasefire between the US and Iran in their weeks-long war. The up to $100 million contract for the San Francisco artificial intelligence company Domino Data Lab could quicken this process with software that can teach underwater drones to identify new types of mines in a matter of days. "Mine-hunting used to be a job for ships," Thomas Robinson, Domino's chief operating officer, said in an interview with Reuters. "It's becoming a job for AI. The navy is paying for the platform that lets it train, govern, and field that AI at a speed required for contested waters that block global trade and imperil sailors." Last week, the US Navy awarded a contract worth up to $99.7 million to expand Domino's role as the AI backbone of the navy's Project AMMO - Accelerated Machine Learning for Maritime Operations - a program to make underwater mine detection faster, more accurate, and less dependent on human sailors. The software integrates data from multiple sensor types, including side-scan sonar and visual imaging systems, and allows the navy to monitor how well various AI detection models are performing in the field, identify failures, and push corrections to improve performance. From months to days The core of Domino's pitch - and the navy's wager - is speed. Before the company's involvement, updating the AI models that power the navy's unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to recognize new or previously unseen mines could take up to six months. Domino says it has cut that cycle to days. Robinson illustrated the relevance to the Middle East crisis: "If there were UUVs in the Baltic Sea trained on Russian mines, and then they needed to be deployed to the Strait of Hormuz to detect Iranian mines, with Domino's technology, the navy could be ready in a week rather than a year." A navy spokesman was not immediately able to provide a comment.