MOD admits it has too many secret cloud capabilities and is seeking commercial help
The MOD is looking for a commercial company to provide a single "secret cloud" to deal with accessing classified data, admitting it has too many secret cloud capabilities.
Defence Procurement Minister James Cartlidge said the MOD was "ramping up" its engagement with industry at a secret level, working together to develop artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
The comments were made when MPs on the Defence Select Committee questioned MOD officials on the use of AI and discussed the sharing of secret-level data with companies providing or developing projects using the technology.
Mr Cartlidge told the committee: "We are ramping up engagement at 'secret' with industry.
"So we recently held a general industry day, this is for the defence sector. We've had some more specific ones. Yesterday Strategic Command held one with companies who are involved in electronic warfare."
Committee member John Speller pressed officials on data-sharing with industry and said: "A lot of the companies have told us that secure cloud computing is needed to enable AI to be able to deal with classified data.
"When will they have access to this and is there possibly scope for government to have an overall umbrella contract into which they could have access in order to undertake that work."
Paul Lincoln, the second permanent secretary at the MOD, responded: "We set out in the AI strategy that we would have secret cloud within defence, we have had secret on premises on cloud since early 2023 installed and operational.
"We are moving now to a convergence.
"The minister said we have got too many secret cloud capabilities to a single convergence at the moment, and we are looking for a commercial cloud provider to bring on board for that."
Officials told the committee they recognised the importance of working with industry to develop future AI capabilities.
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