By David Raun, Member of Board of Directors
As I formed an advisory board consisting of former military personnel, I was touched by the comment by one advisory member that stated, “while I was in the service, I had 600 Marines under me. Five of these Marines did not come back, but technology available today could have saved all their lives if it was deployed. I have a lifelong mission to encourage the use of available technology to save the lives of warfighters.”
One of the key challenges faced by military forces is the need to protect the lives of their personnel. In the past, this has been a difficult task, as the nature of war often means that troops are exposed to dangerous situations and environments.
However, advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology are changing the game, and AI is now being used to save the lives of warfighters.

One area where AI is being deployed to save lives is in the development of smarter soldier assist and full autonomous vehicles. Military vehicles that are capable of operating without exposed human drivers can be used to transport personnel and equipment in dangerous environments, reducing the risk of casualties.
Instead of flying pilots and crew into dangerous environments, a UAV can fly into contested airspace where GPS signals are jammed, and no external communications are available.
AI is also being used to improve situational awareness for warfighters. AI algorithms can analyze data from sensors and other sources to identify potential threats and risks, allowing troops to take action before it is too late. The deployment of this technology on even old vehicles like the Stryker, Bradley and Abrams can protect lives and make the troops more efficient with their missions.
AI algorithms can analyze video feeds from drones and other surveillance systems to identify potential threats, such as enemy soldiers or vehicles. This information can then be relayed to troops on the ground, allowing them to take appropriate action to neutralize the threat. Multiple targets can be prioritized for a vehicle crew to eliminate the most dangerous threat first.
AI is being used to improve medical care for warfighters. AI algorithms can analyze medical data from soldiers to identify potential health issues, allowing medical personnel to take action before the condition becomes serious.
AI algorithms can analyze data from wearable devices to monitor soldiers’ vital signs and identify potential health issues, such as dehydration or fatigue. This information can then be used to adjust the soldiers’ activities and provide appropriate medical care.
AI is being used to improve the accuracy of weapons systems, reducing the risk of collateral damage and civilian casualties.
AI algorithms can analyze data from sensors and other sources to identify potential targets and calculate the optimal trajectory for a weapon system. This improves the accuracy of the weapon system and reduces the risk of collateral damage.
One of the limitations of AI technology in these different types of vehicles, has been the ability to get enough compute and storage performance in compact form factors that can fit and survive these harsh environments. Products like One Stop System’s Rigel Supercomputer has enabled these applications to allow the software to save the warfighter’s lives.
In conclusion, AI is a powerful tool that is being used to save the lives of warfighters. From autonomous vehicles to improved situational awareness, AI is helping military forces to protect their personnel and achieve their mission objectives with greater efficiency and effectiveness. As AI technology continues to evolve, it is likely that its use within the military will only continue to grow, with the potential to save even more lives in the future.
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Before starting college in 2022, I had considered artificial intelligence (AI) a thing of the future, something I wouldn’t see until I was later in my years. With the birth of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and the rise of machine learning systems, my world flipped on its head. Since joining the tech industry, I see I am not alone with this experience. From one year to the next, there is no telling what kind of technological developments we will bear witness to. When it comes to the defense and security of our nation, capitalizing on these advancements is paramount, lest we fall behind our adversaries. As a result, within the defense industry, marketers are required to become adaptable to the shifting needs of their company’s customers.
My time at the booth was spent listening to my colleagues interacting with partners and potential customers. Watching these exchanges, I recognized what was at the heart of West—the real reason why hundreds of people had shown up during the work week to surround themselves with others in the defense industry. The obvious explanations come to mind: to meet customers, establish connections, solidify a brand’s image, and feel out competitors. But when I took a step back to study the messaging on the booths and walk the floor, I saw what I had studied for years as a marketing student come to life. Every conversation and display was geared toward answering one two-part question:
“What do my customers want, and how can my product(s) solve their problem?”
As data-intensive workloads continue to grow across industries like AI, defense, autonomous systems, and high-performance computing (HPC), the need for scalable, high-speed infrastructure has never been greater. Organizations are increasingly hitting the physical and performance limits of traditional server architectures—especially when it comes to GPU density, storage bandwidth, and I/O flexibility.
This is where PCIe Expansion Systems come into play. By extending the capabilities of existing servers, PCIe Expansion enables businesses to scale performance efficiently without complete infrastructure overhauls. In this blog, we’ll explore the key benefits of PCIe Expansion, including how expansion backplanes, GPU expansion, and emerging technologies like CXL and PCIe 6.0 are shaping the future of computing.