NATO-backed startup equips tiny drones with AI for autonomous target spotting

Scaleout Systems began as a Swedish spin-off from Uppsala University, aiming to run machine-learning directly on the processors of trucks and other commercial machines. The full-scale war in Ukraine prompted a pivot toward military uses, with the goal of giving NATO allies a strategic edge through edge-based AI. Rather than relying on large-scale models from firms like OpenAI, Scaleout builds lean vision models that fit on a range of edge devices, from tiny drone processors to more powerful field workstations. In 2025 the company joined NATO’s Defence Innovator Accelerator (DIANA) and is now working on the Federated Aerial Intelligence for Recon project, which adapts these models for drones, pilot tablets, and command posts to autonomously detect and engage targets.