The investment is intended to address the integration of artificial intelligence into sensitive defence systems and to accelerate its industrial deployment for the armed forces, while preserving algorithm sovereignty and protecting sensitive data. AI experts from Naval Group, notably from its Digital Excellence Centre in Ollioules, will reinforce cortAIx France teams to support the development and industrialisation of AI solutions for defence applications.
Launched in 2024, cortAIx brings together more than 800 AI specialists across five hubs in France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and Germany, consolidating research, engineering and industrialisation for critical environments. Thales said that over the past decade its sustained investment in research and development has made it Europe’s leading patent filer in AI for critical systems, with artificial intelligence integrated into more than 100 of its products while ensuring human oversight remains central.
“The entry of Naval Group into the capital of cortAIx France is a significant step for the company in its efforts to integrate AI into naval systems,” said Pierre Éric Pommellet, Chairman and CEO of Naval Group. “Thanks to the pooling of resources from our two companies, this strategic partnership marks a major acceleration for the future of engineering and naval systems, in which AI plays an increasingly important role. It reflects the will to push beyond traditional boundaries of architecture and innovation, in favour of sovereign and controlled AI, which is essential to build the naval warfare of tomorrow.”
“With Naval Group joining us, cortAIx is taking a major step forward in a collective innovation effort in France,” said Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales. “This cooperation between two major defence players will pool expertise and accelerate the integration of sovereign AI into critical systems to respond more quickly to the challenges of the armed forces. This alliance will help them gain an edge in the face of increasingly numerous and immediate threats in an ever more complex environment, while keeping humans in control.”
The two companies said they will focus on collaborative combat systems, decision support tools based on rapid analysis of strategic and operational data, electronic warfare capabilities, training and simulation technologies, and logistics and support solutions. These efforts aim to enhance operational superiority in a changing threat landscape while maintaining human control over AI-enabled systems.
