REG-Defence Holdings Plc: Defence Holdings PLC Selects Hyperscale Provider for Project Ixian

Defence HoldingsAnnouncement

Today 13:15

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to
constitute inside information stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation
(EU) No. 596/2014, as retained as part of the law of England and Wales. Upon
the publication of this announcement via the Regulatory Information Service,
this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

03 October 2025

London, UK

Defence Holdings PLC

(“Defence Holdings” or the “Company”)

Defence Holdings PLC Selects Hyperscale Provider for Project Ixian

 

·        Google Cloud chosen for Project Ixian, Defence Holdings
inaugural sovereign AI product focused on information integrity and
resilience.

·        Built natively on Google Distributed Cloud air-gapped, a
platform designed for stringent data residency and security controls.

·        Co-development with Whitespace engineers embeds sovereign
standards from inception.

 

LONDON, UK – October 3, 2024: Defence Holdings PLC (LSE: ALRT), a leading UK
software-led defence company, today announced it has selected Google Cloud as
its hyperscale provider for Project Ixian. This initiative marks the
company’s inaugural sovereign AI product, developed under its Defence
Technologies division, and is focused on enhancing information integrity and
resilience against information warfare.

Project Ixian will be built natively on Google Distributed Cloud air-gapped, a
platform specifically designed for the most stringent data residency, security
controls, and operates fully disconnected from the internet.
 

"Information has become critical infrastructure, and its protection is
paramount," said Andy McCartney, Chief Technology Officer of Defence Holdings.
"By selecting Google Cloud, we are establishing sovereign AI capability on the
same technology, aligned with UK Government investments. Project Ixian
exemplifies how infrastructure translates into capability – sovereign by
design, scalable from inception, and directly addressing one of the most
urgent areas of focus of our time: information operations. Project Ixian is
just the first in a multi-product pipeline we intend to bring from concept to
operational use over the next 18 months."

Project Ixian is specifically designed to address critical focus areas of the
UK’s Strategic Defence Review 2025 (SDR25), countering challenges such as
disinformation, digital vulnerabilities, and narrative manipulation by
malicious actors. Its development has been deeply informed by Defence
end-users and includes co-development with Whitespace engineers to embed
sovereign standards, resilience, scalability, and compliance from inception.

John Abel, UK Managing Director, Office of the CTO, Google Cloud, commented:
"This initiative brings together our sovereign infrastructure with Defence
Holdings’ focus, ensuring that the UK can benefit from technologies that are
both operationally relevant and sovereign by design."

ENDS

 

About Defence Holdings PLC

Defence Holdings PLC (LSE: ALRT) is a leading listed software-led defence
company, focused on developing sovereign defence capabilities for the digital
age. The Company's five-year strategic plan, announced in June 2025, positions
it to become a leading force in software-first defence solutions.

 

About Whitespace

Whitespace helps Defence and National Security organisations rapidly deliver
capabilities against their AI unmet needs. As a sovereign UK SME,
headquartered in Belfast, they’ve developed Collective – a secure software
architecture specifically designed for rapidly developing and deploying AI
solutions in any environment, from edge devices to air-gapped networks and
cloud solutions. This enables Whitespace to deliver Generative AI (GenAI) and
Agentic AI applications that operate independently or seamlessly integrate
within existing systems.  Since 2019 Whitespace has been designing,
developing and deploying Defence AI across UK Defence and across all military
commands.

 

Notes for Editors

 

 



Copyright (c) 2025 PR Newswire Association,LLC. All Rights Reserved