EDGE AI FOUNDATION Launches First-of-Its-Kind Working Group to Advance Mission-Critical AI Capabilities for Defense and Government Operations

Defense Working Group brings together major industry leaders to address policy and technical challenges of edge AI deployment across land, sea, air, and space

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The EDGE AI FOUNDATION today announced the formation of its Defense Working Group, a strategic initiative designed to elevate the role of artificial intelligence at the edge in national security operations.

Chaired by Sek Chai, CTO and co-founder of Latent AI, the working group brings together both leading technology companies and innovative startups to tackle the unique engineering and policy challenges of implementing AI at the point of data collection—essential for government operations in remote or bandwidth-constrained environments. From ensuring reliable operations without external systems to scaling autonomy to customization in complex set ups, the founding members of the working group - including representatives from Qualcomm, Wind River, Dell Technologies, Syntiant, Expanso, and Embedl - will tackle complex challenges and support solution-creation as an industry.

"Deployment of edge AI is a fundamental shift in how defense and government agencies can leverage artificial intelligence in complex and high-pressure environments," said Sek Chai. "This working group will bring the brightest minds together, all working on improving the processing of data at the tactical edge rather than relying on cloud connectivity, thus enabling faster decision-making and enhanced security for our service members across all branches of the military."

The Defense Working Group will focus on two primary objectives: 1) collaborate to accelerate the technical ecosystem challenges unique to mission-critical applications and 2) raise awareness of edge AI capabilities within defense policy circles worldwide. While initially focused on U.S. defense needs, the Working Group's framework is designed to support NATO and other aligned nations facing similar operational requirements.

The team will also be holding the first EDGE AI Defense Symposium on May 27, 2026 in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC at their campus to focus on these critical objectives with key policy makers and technology industry leadership.

EDGE AI SAN DIEGO 2026 Conference
The EDGE AI FOUNDATION will finalize and prioritize the Defense Working Group initial task list related to the key objectives list at EDGE AI SAN DIEGO taking place March 24-26, 2026. The conference is the premier gathering for edge AI innovation and cross-sector collaboration.

Conference highlights specific to the defense space include:

• Keynote Address by Rear Admiral (Ret.) Doug Small, sharing his decades of naval leadership and technology integration experience
• Panel Discussion: Mission Critical Edge AI for Defense Industries, exploring the paradigm shift toward AI architectures designed for edge deployment from the ground up
• Evening Reception aboard the USS Midway Museum, an exclusive networking event in the historic setting of America's longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century

"We exist to unite industry leaders to drive innovation, solve global challenges, and democratize AI technologies," said Pete Bernard, CEO of EDGE AI FOUNDATION. "We recognized that we could support our members working in defense with a forum to share their deep bodies of knowledge to come together and strengthen edge AI capabilities critical to national and allied security."

For more information about the Defense Working Group, EDGE AI SAN DIEGO 2026, or the EDGE AI FOUNDATION, visit sandiego2026.edgeaifoundation.org or contact [email protected].

About the EDGE AI FOUNDATION
The EDGE AI FOUNDATION (a California-based 501c3) is the world's largest community of edge AI developers, technology makers and academia, serving as the global hub for energy-efficient edge AI technologies. From tinyML to agentic AI, physical AI and neuromorphic computing, we're transforming AI at the network's edge and uniting industry leaders and to drive innovation, solve global challenges, and democratize AI technologies. Learn more at www.edgeaifoundation.org

About Latent AI
Latent AI delivers edge AI solutions that enable rapid deployment of artificial intelligence capabilities on any device. Founded in 2018, the company's developer platform helps government and commercial organizations implement efficient, secure AI solutions at the edge. Latent AI's tools enable developers to build and update secure, adaptive models for field or laboratory use, serving defense and commercial customers. For more information, visit latentai.com.

Media Contact:
Lia LoBello Reynolds
EDGE AI FOUNDATION Communications
E: [email protected]

Max Holden
Force4 Technology Communications
E: [email protected]

SOURCE EDGE AI FOUNDATION