London, February 02, 2023: Helsing, Europe’s leading software and AI defence company, formally opened its new London headquarters and announced its commitment to invest over £100m in the UK defence sector over the next few years.
The investment will support the recruitment of software engineers, AI developers and deep tech specialists who will develop cognitive technologies designed to upgrade the UK’s legacy war-fighting platforms, as well as new systems, equipping them for modern warfare.
At the event, Helsing demonstrated some of its real-world capabilities, showing that software and AI can dramatically transform the effectiveness of new and legacy defence equipment, significantly increasing their role as a deterrent to our adversaries. Helsing’s technology makes hardware faster, more effective and more efficient by orders of magnitude.
The AI and software defence specialists hosted the Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin at the event where he set out the Government’s vision for Britain as an ‘AI superpower’.
Quin welcomed Helsing’s £100m investment in a critical industry that will support the recruitment, training and development of the talent necessary to support the Government’s goals of becoming an AI superpower. “AI has enormous potential to enhance capability and that we must use the technology to defend ourselves and our values,” he argued.
Quin was joined virtually by Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Volodymyr Havrylov who gave a first-hand account of how advances in technology have enabled his troops to outperform the Russian forces.
Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:
“The UK has always been the home of innovation, playing a global leadership role in its policies, its ambition, and its values. Through investment in critical industries of the future from cutting edge businesses like Helsing we will realise our ambition of being an AI superpower. We are committed to harnessing the power of science and technology to drive growth, create the jobs of the future, and most importantly keep our country safe. The lessons from Ukraine show that now more than ever it is vital we seize that opportunity and ensure the UK has the capability to deter our adversaries. The Procurement Bill is just one of the many ways in which we are ensuring that companies are better able to bring their drive, ingenuity and innovation to Government.”
Helsing UK CEO Nick Elliott said:
“Military equipment can be radically improved through AI-enabled software. This is technology that can be deployed in service today and Helsing is bringing this to our UK Armed Forces and our democratic allies. The war in Ukraine has ripped up the rule book, and one of the most important lessons that the West must stand up and take notice of is that military equipment, both new and existing, can be radically improved through software.”
Helsing Co-Founder and CEO Gundbert Scherf said:
“As war rages on Europe’s eastern front and China asserts itself in the Indo-Pacific, it has never been more important for the UK to invest intelligently to equip its Armed Forces to face the multitude of threats and challenges that confront us. Software, in particular artificial intelligence, will be the key to Europe’s digital deterrence, protecting us from our adversaries. Our investment in the UK demonstrates our commitment to building meaningful deep tech and AI capabilities in defence of our democracies.”
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defence Volodymyr Havrylov said:
“What matters in this war is not the quantity of troops or the type of tanks, but technology. We see a lot of new developments tested in the field, such as drones, electronic warfare, air defence and other applications. For Ukraine, maintaining technological superiority is critical to achieving victory.“
About Helsing: Helsing is a new defence company, focusing on bringing software-based capabilities to the armed forces. With a diverse and experienced team of engineers and AI talent, Helsing partners with government and established hardware manufacturers to deploy mission-enhancing software. Helsing funds its own research and technology development, which allows it to undertake its own R&D at scale, applying the speed of software development cycles to mission challenges in defence. It employs AI and software to enable faster and more accurate decision-making and exploitation of data at the tactical, operational, and strategic level.