Aalyria, an aerospace communications company, announced it has signed an agreement to use a new Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) being built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The facility is funded by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the U.S. Department of Defense organization that accelerates the adoption of commercial technology for national security. As an early project for DIU’s Bridge initiative, this project removes systemic barriers to scaling commercial technology by securing access to classified infrastructure. Aalyria announced at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
The Pittsburgh SCIF is part of Aalyria's expansion plans in western Pennsylvania. In addition to DIU, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Regional Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) served as co-investors on this project. With secure infrastructure now accessible in the city, Aalyria can take on classified government programs from its Pittsburgh operation and build the local team those programs demand. Pittsburgh is home to established robotics, AI, and engineering talent, exactly the skills Aalyria is recruiting. The company is committed to expanding its presence in the region.
Aalyria's Spacetime platform is already running in programs across the U.S. Government, allied partners, and commercial satellite operators. Spacetime orchestrates communications networks in real time across land, sea, air and space, routing around failures and adapting to changing conditions without human intervention. The company has worked with DIU, the U.S. Space Force, NASA, and military services across the federal government. Access to a Pittsburgh SCIF lets Aalyria bring that work closer to the engineering teams it is building in the region.
“DIU understands that defense capability increasingly depends on commercial technology and innovation. Carnegie Mellon University is among the world's leading institutions for robotics, AI, and computer science. The University of Pittsburgh brings deep strength in engineering and applied research,” said Brian Barritt, CEO of Aalyria. “This facility means Aalyria can now base classified defense work in Pittsburgh and work with the people who make it one of America's most compelling technology cities.”
"Pennsylvania has some of the best defense infrastructure, research institutions, and engineering schools in the country. We've always played a big role in American defense, and this new secure facility in Pittsburgh keeps that going. It gives companies working on cutting-edge defense technology a place to do that work here, close to the people and institutions that make them successful. That's the goal of the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit — connecting our Commonwealth's strengths with the people who need them. Aalyria is an example of the kind of company we want to attract and expand in Pennsylvania," said Senator Dave McCormick.
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