Safran Acquires Preligens; to Become Part of Its Electronics & Defence Company
After an exclusive negotiation process that began in June, Preligens—a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) for aerospace and defense—has joined Safran. The acquisition of Preligens was finalised for an enterprise value of Euro 220 million. The company will be renamed Safran.AI and will become part of Safran Electronics & Defence.
Founded in 2016, Preligens provides field-proven AI analytics solutions for high-resolution imagery, full motion video and acoustic signals. The company develops complex algorithms and software to analyze and automatically detect and identify objects of military interest notably using commercial and government satellite imagery. Its unique AI Factory allows the development, production and integration of state-of-the-art AI algorithms trained on massive amounts of data from multiple sources and sensors with end-to-end security and traceability.
With this alliance, Safran Electronics & Defence, a recognised expert in optronics, space communications and inertial navigation, further demonstrates its commitment to AI. Thanks to Preligens’ solutions, this alliance will enable Safran Electronics & Defence to accelerate the development of AI in its products and services. For surveillance and identification in defense and space, for example, AI will provide reliable information and decision support for operators. With its international presence, Safran will also support Preligens’ development worldwide, especially in the US market. This alliance will also enable Safran to accelerate its digital transformation roadmap, notably by diversifying Preligens’ AI solutions to apply them to Industry 4.0. For example, automated AI-powered image analytics can assist quality controllers in charge of inspecting critical parts by using digital imagery to help identify anomalies.
CEO of Preligens Jean-Yves Courtois commented, “Joining Safran marks a new stage in Preligens’ development. We’re proud to be helping create a world-class AI center of expertise for one of the flagships of French industry. The many synergies with Safran will enable us to develop new AI product lines and accelerate our international expansion, which is excellent news for our business and our people.”
CEO of Safran Electronics & Defense Franck Saudo said: “We’re delighted to welcome Preligens to the Group. We recognise how far their teams have already come, and we’re proud to now be working with them to help further develop their AI solutions. By combining our strengths, we’re determined not only to support the development of Preligens’ AI solutions, but also to jointly open up entirely new areas of AI application in aviation, defense and space.”
Preligens was founded in 2016 by two French engineers, Arnaud Guérin and Renaud Allioux on the belief that without the contribution of artificial intelligence, intelligence professionals would no longer be able to cope with the exponential flow of defence and intelligence data, especially those made available by the significant investments made each year in sensors. Preligens is now a global leader in artificial intelligence for geospatial data in aerospace, defence, and government applications.