In a ceremony held last month at NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, NPS President retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau and NVIDIA Vice President of External Affairs Ned Finkle signed a new Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to collaborate on the development of AI-based technologies for learning and real-world applications.
“Working with NVIDIA represents a major step forward in leveraging cutting-edge AI, machine learning, and the NVIDIA Omniverse platform to address complex challenges,” said Kaitie Penry, the director of emerging technology and innovation at NPS, who will oversee the initial projects. “This collaboration will create opportunities for groundbreaking research and education that will drive innovation and enhance capability for the Department of the Navy and will be incorporated into the Naval Innovation Center at NPS.”
Trusted AI and Autonomy is one of 14 critical technology areas identified in the 2023 National Defense Science and Technology Strategy. This collaboration underscores the importance of integrating AI and industry technology into the advanced education of students at NPS to develop their talent as leaders and technically proficient problem solvers.
“The Department of the Navy continues to champion rapid development of technologies that accelerate decision-making as part of our maritime advantage,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “I’m excited about the work the Naval Innovation Center at Naval Postgraduate School will do to leverage and accelerate AI-enabled outcomes from research projects like this with our industry partners.”
The recently released Chief of Naval Operations NAVPLAN 2024 aims to enhance situational awareness, decision-making, and rapid planning through AI as an enabling technology. The NAVPLAN also recognizes that AI-based training and education must be employed at equal pace in reliable, realistic, and relevant environments for naval forces to complete them successfully.
Innovation in live, virtual, constructive (LVC) technologies fuels advanced modeling and simulation (M&S) applications. The Navy’s goal is to make LVC training widely available anytime, anywhere by providing the ability to build tactical proficiency. NPS is a leader in advanced M&S education and applied research through its Modeling Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES) Institute and will be one of the hubs for collaboration with NVIDIA.
Under NVIDIA’s AI Technology Center Program, NPS and NVIDIA will collaborate on research, educational efforts, and industry talks. The first project will focus on ‘Non-Physics Modeling and Scenario Generation’ to create a tool for simulation and mission planning purposes specific to naval end-user domain requirements.
Technologies based on the NVIDIA Omniverse platform will enable development of digital twin and physical AIsimulation applications across industries. NVIDIA’s program will also offer NPS AI and M&S education relevant to a variety of operational use cases, including digital twin applications and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief contingency planning.
“Training the next generation of leaders in AI is crucial for addressing some of the most complex challenges we face, from disaster relief to mission-readiness,” said Jimmie Adkins, director of federal at NVIDIA. “By using NVIDIA technology like NVIDIA Omniverse, the Naval Postgraduate School equips students with cutting-edge tools for real-time collaboration and simulation, empowering them to develop innovative solutions with immediate, real-world impact.”
While helping keep the Navy at the cutting edge of AI education, research, and innovation, the collaboration between NPS and NVIDIA, which arose from working relationships on M&S technologies for enhanced learning and training environments, will also enable shared insights for both institutions.
These opportunities will help make NPS graduates high-impact and highly sought-after, not only for their knowledge, but for their skills and determination as innovative change leaders.
At the CRADA signing ceremony last month, Rondeau noted how “NPS is a catalyst for change to help keep the naval services at the forefront of future operational concepts and enabling technologies because it is not enough to just provide an education – there must be outcomes and impacts.”
She continued, “This collaboration with NVIDIA was born from a desire to advance education and research on AI to solve real-world problems. I look forward to the discoveries and innovative solutions ahead.”
NPS students and faculty met with NVIDIA team members at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando, Florida, Dec. 3 to share current research and kick-off discussions of technology applications that will form the cornerstone of the CRADA partnership. Del Toro, an NPS alumnus, met with the NPS-NVIDIA team to hear first-hand about their planned projects encouraging them to work with a sense of urgency and to focus on ways and means that enable rapid adoption at pace and scale.
(The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) does not constitute endorsement of NVIDIA or its products and services by the Naval Postgraduate School, the Department of the Navy, or the Department of Defense.)
The mission of the Naval Postgraduate School is to provide graduate education, including classified studies and interdisciplinary research, to advance the operational effectiveness and technological leadership of the Naval service. For additional information, visit NPS online at http://www.nps.edu