Artificial Intelligence

Biden orders federal land to be leased for AI data center development

The executive action will leverage federally protected lands to develop data centers capable of supporting AI software, with a priority on incorporating clean energy sources.

Artificial Intelligence

HHS AI plan looks to the private sector for collaboration

Public engagement and collaborative partnerships with the private sector “throughout the innovation pipeline” can help ensure that AI tools are being equitably used and deployed, HHS said in its AI strategic plan.

Exclusive Artificial Intelligence

AI startup Anthropic to build out public sector team

Thiyagu Ramasamy, formerly of Amazon Web Services, will lead the effort.

Digital Government

ServiceNow CEO says DOGE has Washington ‘inspired and fired up’

Bill McDermott believes there is genuine momentum building behind President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency.

Defense

Dems push ‘right to repair’ mandate after proposal was stripped from NDAA

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., want servicemembers to be able to repair hardware without needing to depend on contractors to make fixes.

Acquisition

A decade-old risk led to ‘phenomenal partnership’ between AWS and the intel community

The move to bring highly classified systems to the cloud was uncharted territory for both the company and the CIA.

Defense

Army aims to move its pay system to the cloud by 2027

Oracle will soon host the service’s HR systems, under the Pentagon’s biggest cloud contracting vehicle.

Cybersecurity

White House convened telecom leaders as details of Chinese espionage hack unfold

Many of the breached systems were not properly equipped with tools that recorded network activity, making it harder to quickly trace the origins of the hack, a person familiar said.

Policy

What Trump 2.0 means for tech and AI regulation

Tech CEO Elon Musk’s growing influence in the Trump transition was at the forefront of discussions.

Emerging Tech

Microsoft and Atom Computing unveil 24-qubit quantum machine

The companies bet on neutral atoms and logical qubits to enable near-term, hybrid quantum computing.

Emerging Tech

MetTel becomes first authorized Starlink partner to offer satellite SD-WAN services

The news makes MetTel the first Starlink authorized reseller for both commercial and government organizations.

Emerging Tech

Who tells satellites where to take pictures? Increasingly, it’ll be robots, Maxar says

Automated scans of low-res imagery will cue high-res passes, while simulations will help manage ever-growing queues for service.

Defense

Military must improve acquisition to win future wars, admiral says

Pacific Fleet deputy chief says U.S. should follow Ukraine’s example to be prepared for a potential clash with China.

Defense

Industry ‘hamstrung’ by Space Force-intel community’s turf war

Commercial firms say NGA-centric acquisition can’t move fast enough to help combatant commands or foster innovation.

Cybersecurity

DOJ, Microsoft disrupt Russian hackers targeting civil society orgs

The group, likely linked to Russia’s Federal Security Service, has focused on stealing credentials from NGOs and think tanks around the world.

Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI, Anthropic to collab with NIST on AI safety testing

The standards agency's AI Safety Institute obtained access to "major models" from the two AI leaders ahead of their public release for testing purposes.

Acquisition

DOJ suit claims Georgia Tech ‘knowingly failed’ to meet cyber standards for DOD contracts

The Justice Department has joined onto a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two senior staffers on Georgia Tech’s cybersecurity compliance team that was filed in 2022.

People

Mike Gallagher talks priorities as Palantir’s new defense business chief

The former lawmaker is looking to draw on a decade of national security policy work in the new position.