GlobalX Innovation Joint Challenge: AI for Advancing Maritime Security

Inviting global companies, startups and academia with innovative AI solutions to address maritime security challenges.

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Cap Vista seeks innovative solutions to address challenges published on this website. We focus on accelerating the adoption of commercial technologies to solve real challenges at speed.

ABOUT THE JOINT CHALLENGE

Singapore's Ministry of Defence's Future Systems & Technology Directorate and the US Office of Naval Research (Global) have launched the GlobalX Innovation Joint Challenge: AI for Advancing Maritime Security to seek novel AI solutions for maritime security.

This is an opportunity for companies, startups and academia to collaborate with defence establishments to translate innovative proposals into project trials.

This bilateral challenge will run as two synchronised calls by the Cap Vista Accelerator in Singapore and the Office of Naval Research (Global).

WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU AS A COMPANY/STARTUP
/ACADEMIA?

We aim to award suitable companies, startups and academia within 60 days after the submission deadline. Awarded companies, startups and academia will gain the opportunity to work directly with our end users to showcase and validate your solutions for national security applications. If your solution demonstrates success and good potential, we aim to scale your solutions quickly.

OVERVIEW OF CHALLENGE STATEMENT

1. How might we use AI on Unmanned Vessels to interpret maritime scene contexts?

Context

Scene perception - the ability to determine context beyond object recognition - is a necessary condition for a single Unmanned Aerial/Surface/Underwater Vessel (UxVs) or UxVs cooperatively working cooperatively to operate effectively in challenging maritime environments. Examples of operational challenges related to scene perception in a maritime environment are described below. AI-enabled scene perception in UxVs would minimise the cognitive load on operators, increasing operational efficiency.

Examples of a Scene Perception Scenario

Traffic Management:

Identifying and categorising different types of vessels (e.g. fishing boats, cargo ships, pleasure crafts) is crucial for traffic management. AI can analyse sensor data to detect vessels even in challenging conditions like rain, sun glare, fog or darkness, and classify them based on their size, shape and features.

Collision Detection and Avoidance:

AI can characterise the behaviour and movement patterns of different vessels to maintain navigational situational awareness in challenging conditions such as line-of-sight occlusions and sudden lane crossing in high traffic. This allows a UxV(s) to perform pre-emptive course alterations to avoid potential collisions.

Anomaly Detection and Lifelong Learning:

AI can monitor vessel traffic patterns and identify unusual or suspicious activities, such as piracy, smuggling, or illegal fishing, and learn to recognise new patterns in situ. This can enhance maritime security and support law enforcement efforts.

Port Security and Surveillance:

AI can be used for port security applications, such as identifying unauthorised access, detecting suspicious objects, and monitoring vessel movements within the port area.

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking proposals that 1) define challenging and realistic maritime scene perception scenarios as represented by real world and/or synthetic data generated by sensors commonly found on UxV platforms and 2) present innovative AI algorithms that can successfully operate on that representative data and determine operational context.

Selected proposals will describe both the construction of a maritime scenario (simulation or physical environment) and the technical details of the novel software-based AI algorithms for the UxVs operating in this environment. The type of UxV platform (surface, underwater, or airborne) will be weighted equally in the evaluation process. Deliverables include the maritime scenario dataset used by the performers in this challenge.

Key Metrics

The metrics to be evaluated include: (i) the accuracy of scene perception, and (ii) time taken on realistic UxV edge compute.

Your Technology Solution Should Demonstrate

Predictive analysis beyond vessel classification to characterise behaviour and movement patterns to detect potential collisions, anomalous patterns, and suspicious activities, under the challenging environment conditions stated in the above 4 scene perception scenarios.

What We Are Not Looking For

Theoretical concepts.
AI algorithms that rely on sensors not commonly found on UxVs.

Option Cost

Cost for deployment beyond trial

TIMELINE OVERVIEW

Open for Applications 6th May 2025 -
23rd May 2025, 5pm (GMT+8)

Companies, startups and academia can register on the platform and submit their proposals by completing the application form.

Virtual Briefing Session 9th May 2025, 11:30am (SGT/GMT+8)

Join our briefing for the innovation challenge to engage directly with challenge owners, ask questions, and gain insights to enhance your proposal.

A recording of the briefing session can be found here.

Shortlisting of Proposals End May - Early June 2025

Submitted proposals will be evaluated based on innovativeness and relevance of the solution, feasibility, and readiness for implementation. We will invite shortlisted participants to present their solutions over a pitching session.

Pitching Session 4th June 2025
(Hybrid)

Shortlisted participants will pitch their solutions to our evaluation panel, which includes our challenge statement owners and technical experts. For non-Singapore-based participants, the pitching can be conducted virtually.

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