Phase I SBIR - Cyber Assured Space Internet Device (CASI-D)

January 17, 2024

Over $1.2 trillion in commercial retail, more than 500,000 petabytes of data, communications, air transport, maritime trade, financial, weather; and environmental monitoring, intelligence, and defense systems – depend on space infrastructure. Forward Edge-AI, Inc. (Forward Edge-AI), has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a new Blockchain/Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to ensure the provenance, integrity and quality of space-based algorithms and training data.

Develop an Apparatus for Secure and Remote Updates of ML Models. The lineage of this work is based on our previous NSF SBIR to develop a Blockchain/DLT system to protect telecommunications channels (Patent US 11,689,660 B2). For this Phase I project, we propose to demonstrate the ability to autonomously request model updates to prevent models from becoming stale.

The Blockchain brokers the transaction and manages the provenance of the models. Phase I concludes with a demonstration of the entire Machine Learning CI/CD pipeline over a secure channel. The innovation will enable on-the-fly-learning, and autonomous on-orbit updates of Deep Learning algorithms. The technology is dual use, designed to meet the stringent security requirements of government, military, and digital banking organizations.

The CASI-D project focuses on the development of a Blockchain solution to manage the governance and provenance of ML/AI algorithms and associated training data for CubeSats and other space infrastructure. Phase I addresses the growing concerns around adversarial AI. At the core of the CASI-D project is the development of an advanced a Blockchain to support its governance framework, including automated auditing, risk assessment, and compliance monitoring. By integrating these technologies, the project enhances the ability to detect and address potential issues in real-time, ensuring the security of ML/AI models developed for on-orbit systems.

The CASI-D project complements the Space COMSEC project by establishing robust AI governance frameworks ensure the lineage and provenance of Isidore Quantum’s ML models and training data. Together, Isidore Quantum® and CASI-D creates a secure, transparent, and sound environment for space communications, balancing technological innovation with governance.

The technology is an urgently needed improvement to cybersecurity in space to enable a larger scale, higher throughput, and a more securely interconnected ecosystem. This includes enabling on-orbit manufacturing; and is aimed squarely at Small and Medium Manufacturers (SMM), large manufacturers as well as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) that will supply large scale space production industries.

The technology also will accelerate the integration of terrestrial telecommunications networks and satellite communications technologies, decrease costs, increase service coverage, and provide added resilience and enhance the security of the nation’s communication infrastructure, thereby accelerating human endeavors in space.

Space Products Include:

Blockchain to ensure the provenance of Machine Learning (M/L) algorithms and associated training data
Anomaly Detector to detect cyber-intrusions and differentiate an attack versus natural phenomena

Other Relevant Experience:

Stakeholders

Award a Phase III Sole Source Contract

A Federal Agency may enter into a Phase III SBIR/STTR agreement at any time with a Phase I OR II Awardee. A subcontract to a Federally funded prime contract may be a Phase III award.

Follow our 8 step process:

Step 1 Requirements Document: Prepare a Statement of Work (SOW), Statement of Objectives (SOO), or Performance Work Statement (PWS), or use our automated tool to generate a document
Step 2 Market Research: Use this page as your market research, or view a list of other eligible projects, then request a ROM from Forward Edge-AI
Step 3 Funding: Performed by the government
Step 4 Sole Source Justification: A Memorandum for the Record is required in lieu of a J&A or SSJ
Step 5 Provide Requirements Package to Contracting Officer: Performed by the government
Step 6 Solicitation: Performed by the government
Step 7 Pre-Negotiation Memorandum: Use GSA CALC as a benchmark to determine fair and reasonableness of our ROM
Step 8: Contract Award: Performed by the government

Language for Step 4 (Determination and Finding):

Adversarial Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Ethical AI, Governance, Trustworthy AI, Responsible AI, Data Engineering, Data Governance, Training Data
Validity and Reliability, Safety, Security and Resiliency, Accountability and Transparency, Explainability and Interpretability, Privacy, Fairness with Mitigation of Harmful Bias, Model Drift, Data Drift
Counter Adversarial Artificial Intelligence, CubeSat, Cybersecurity, Data Drift, Deep Learning, DevSecOps, Electronic Discovery, Forensics, Internet, Physics-Based Models, Model Drift, Space, Space-Based Manufacturing, Training Data Provenance, Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, Identity Management (ICAM), IPV6, Poison Data

List of Phase III contracts awarded so far

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Restrictions on Use of Forward Edge-AI Past Performance in Bid and Proposals

SBIR DATA RIGHTS:

Awarding Agency: National Science Foundation

Award Number: Award #2327618

Contractor Name: Forward Edge-AI, Inc.

Contractor Address: 10108 Carter Canyon, San Antonio, TX 78255

Protection Period: 20 years from award of contract 23 February 2024

Expiration of SBIR Data: 23 February 2044

The Government's rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose technical data or computer software marked with this legend are restricted during the period shown as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of the Rights In Other Than Commercial Technical Data and Computer Software–Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program clause contained in the above identified contract. After the expiration date shown above, the Government has perpetual government purpose rights as provided in paragraph (b)(5) of that clause. Any reproduction of technical data, computer software, or portions thereof marked with this legend must also reproduce the markings.