ITAR : Comment les Etats-Unis jouent contre l'autonomie stratégique française et européenne

On the same subject

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  March 29, 2019 | International, Other Defence

  DARPA: Designing Chips for Real Time Machine Learning

  The current generation of machine learning (ML) systems would not have been possible without significant computing advances made over the past few decades. The development of the graphics-processing unit (GPU) was critical to the advancement of ML as it provided new levels of compute power needed for ML systems to process and train on large data sets. As the field of artificial intelligence looks towards advancing beyond today's ML capabilities, pushing into the realms of “learning” in real-time, new levels of computing are required. Highly specialized Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) show promise in meeting the physical size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements of advanced ML applications, such as autonomous systems and 5G. However, the high cost of design and implementation has made the development of ML-specific ASICs impractical for all but the highest volume applications. “A critical challenge in computing is the creation of processors that can proactively interpret and learn from data in real-time, apply previous knowledge to solve unfamiliar problems, and operate with the energy efficiency of the human brain,” said Andreas Olofsson, a program manager in DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO). “Competing challenges of low-SWaP, low-latency, and adaptability require the development of novel algorithms and circuits specifically for real-time machine learning. What's needed is the rapid development of energy efficient hardware and ML architectures that can learn from a continuous stream of new data in real time.” DARPA's Real Time Machine Learning (RTML) program seeks to reduce the design costs associated with developing ASICs tailored for emerging ML applications by developing a means of automatically generating novel chip designs based on ML frameworks. The goal of the RTML program is to create a compiler – or software platform – that can ingest ML frameworks like TensorFlow and Pytorch and, based on the objectives of the specific ML algorithms or systems, generate hardware design configurations and standard Verilog code optimized for the specific need. Throughout the lifetime of the program, RTML will explore the compiler's capabilities across two critical, high-bandwidth application areas: 5G networks and image processing. “Machine learning experts are proficient in developing algorithms but have little to no knowledge of chip design. Conversely, chip designers are not equipped with the expertise needed to inform the design of ML-specific ASICs. RTML seeks to merge these unique areas of expertise, making the process of designing ultra-specialized ASICs more efficient and cost-effective,” said Olofsson. Based on the application space's anticipated agility and efficiency, the RTML compiler provides an ideal platform for prototyping and testing fundamental ML research ideas that require novel chip designs. As such, DARPA plans to collaborate with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on this effort. NSF is pursuing its own Real Time Machine Learning program focused on developing novel ML paradigms and architectures that can support real-time inference and rapid learning. After the first phase of the DARPA RTML program, the agency plans to make its compiler available to NSF researchers to provide a platform for evaluating their proposed ML algorithms and architectures. During the second phase of the program, DARPA researchers will have an opportunity to evaluate the compiler's performance and capabilities using the results generated by NSF. The overall expectation of the DARPA-NSF partnership is to lay the foundation for next-generation co-design of RTML algorithms and hardware. “We are excited to work with DARPA to fund research teams to address the emerging challenges for real-time learning, prediction, and automated decision-making,” said Jim Kurose, NSF's head for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. “This collaboration is in alignment with the American AI Initiative and is critically important to maintaining American leadership in technology and innovation. It will contribute to advances for sustainable energy and water systems, healthcare logistics and delivery, and advanced manufacturing.” RTML is part of the second phase of DARPA's Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) – a five-year, upwards of $1.5 billion investment in the future of domestic, U.S. government, and defense electronics systems. As a part of ERI Phase II, DARPA is supporting domestic manufacturing options and enabling the development of differentiated capabilities for diverse needs. RTML is helping to fulfill this mission by creating a means of expeditiously and cost-effectively generating novel chip designs to support emerging ML applications. Interested proposers will have an opportunity to learn more about the RTML program during a Proposers Day, which will be held at 675 North Randolph Street, Arlington, VA 22203 on Tuesday April 2, 2019 from 09:00 am – 03:00 pm EDT. Additional information about the event and registration are found here: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=29e4d24ce31d2bf276a2162fae3d11cd&tab=core&_cview=0 Additional details on the RTML program are in the Broad Agency Announcement, published to fbo.gov: https://www.fbo.gov/index.php?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a32e37cfad63edcba7cfd5d997422d93&tab=core&_cview=0 https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2019-03-21

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  September 21, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Newsletter September 2021

  In this month’s edition, we go behind the scenes of the launch of the European Maritime Transport Environmental Report – the first report of its kind! We’re at ...

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  August 1, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  France Creates Space Command To Help Bid To Be Third Space Power

  By Thierry Dubois Luch Olymp, a Russian satellite, is French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly's favorite enemy. Last year, she revealed it had, in 2017, moved into close proximity to Athena-Fidus—a Franco-Italian satellite used for military communications—and tried to intercept its signal. The French military have kept a close eye on Luch Olymp. “I can't resist telling you the latest—it left a business card to another eight satellites belonging to various countries,” she says. The French government uses Luch Olymp as an example of the mounting threats against the country's space-based assets. A feeling of vulnerability was the basis for the government's decision, announced last year, to devise a space defense strategy. Now officially unveiled, it includes developing patrol satellites and space-based directed-energy weapons. The move confirms the trend for nations to consider space as an additional theater of operations for future conflicts. In the U.S., President Donald Trump signed off on a detailed plan on how to organize military space in February. The document, dubbed Space Policy Directive-4, proposes the creation of a sixth military service focused on space. The House and Senate are in agreement that a separate space service is necessary, but they are at odds on the details. Both chambers will enter conference this summer to hash out the specifics and are hopeful an agreement will be reached this fall. Last year, a report on worldwide threats to Congress stated that Russian and Chinese anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons would probably become operational within the next few years. “Both countries also are advancing directed-energy weapons technologies for the purpose of fielding ASAT weapons that could blind or damage sensitive space-based optical sensors, such as those used for remote sensing or missile defense.” Referring to China and the U.S., Parly says she believes in France asserting itself as the world's third space power. A space command with an initial 220 personnel will be created Sept. 1. One of its roles will be to establish French space doctrine. The operations center of the space command is to open in 2024 in Toulouse, where it is expected to benefit from local synergies with the space industry. As the space command will be part of the French Air Force, the latter is to become the Air and Space Force (Armee de l'Air et de l'Espace). The space command to be integrated into the air force will replace the existing Joint Space Command, created in 2010. The Joint Space Command did help French forces with their space ambitions, says Parly. However, it is believed not to be effective because of a lack of unity in the command chain and the development of a military space policy, as well as geographically scattered sites. “Space is a new front,” Parly says. She earlier requested the integration of cameras into the Syracuse 4A and 4B communications satellites, due to be launched in the early 2020s. The cameras will monitor the satellites' close environment. Parly wants to see nanosatellites patrolling in orbit as soon as 2023. They will be used to detect threats and may also carry high-power lasers. Such weapons, which may also be integrated into France's “valuable” satellites, will be able to “dazzle” a threatening spacecraft, says Parly. France is behind in high-power lasers, she admits, but she is confident the country's research laboratories and OEMs will catch up. In fact, aerospace research center ONERA has already conducted a test that temporarily made inoperative the optical sensors of an Earth-observation satellite at the end of its life. According to a report by two members of the French National Assembly, ONERA could build a system that would make such sensors inoperative permanently. ONERA is also taking part in the TALOS project. Launched last year by the European Defense Agency to create high-power laser beam weapons, TALOS is led by CILAS, an ArianeGroup subsidiary. Other ideas for “active defense” include repurposing systems currently developed under a European Space Agency program to remove debris from orbit, using a net or harpoon. France's military programming law for 2019-25 already includes €3.6 billion ($4 billion) for the renewal of satellites—such as launching the CSO Earth-observation satellites. Parly announced another €700 million will be added over that period. They will be used, among other expenditures, to create demonstrators. “Full capacity” of the space command is expected in 2030. On the ground, the existing Graves radar, which monitors low Earth orbit, will be upgraded in 2022. Parly has requested its successor deliver an initial operational capability in 2025, sooner than initially planned. Eventually, it will have to detect an object “the size of a shoe box” at 1,500 km (930 mi.). Debris is a concern, as well as illegal launches such as that of Swarm Technologies' picosatellites last year. The government is counting on European cooperation, especially with Germany and Italy, to make future surveillance equipment and weapons affordable. https://aviationweek.com/space/france-creates-space-command-help-bid-be-third-space-power