SEA and Mind Foundry Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement to Advance AI-Enabled Maritime Surveillance and Decision Advantage


03 Nov 2026

SEA and Mind Foundry Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement to Advance AI-Enabled Maritime Surveillance and Decision Advantage

SEA and Mind Foundry have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to take a jointly integrated maritime defence capability to market in the UK and internationally.  

The MoU marks the beginning of what both companies intend to be a long-term strategic partnership to strengthen underwater situational awareness and turn sensor data into operational decision advantage.

Building on successful trials last year, the proven collaboration combining SEA’s KraitSense sonar capability with Mind Foundry’s NIGHTINGALE AI-enabled acoustic analysis technology helps naval operators detect, classify, and understand underwater activity earlier and faster, reducing operator burden and supporting more confident decisions in complex maritime environments. The agreement establishes a framework for the two organisations to move from technical validation to customer engagement, bringing together proven underwater sensing, maritime systems expertise and AI-enabled acoustic analysis. The MoU provides the foundation of the strategic partnership and for the companies to take that capability to market, supporting customer demonstrations, joint engagement and opportunities across the UK and international defence markets.

By combining complementary expertise in maritime systems, underwater sensing and artificial intelligence, SEA and Mind Foundry aim to help defence customers improve the speed and confidence with which they detect, classify and understand underwater activity more effectively. The integrated solution will help operators identify patterns and anomalies faster, improve situational awareness, and reduce cognitive burden, enabling faster, more informed decision-making.

Richard Flitton, Managing Director of SEA, said:

"The underwater battlespace is becoming increasingly complex, creating a growing need for technologies that enable users to convert complex datasets into decision-making information, quickly and effectively. By combining SEA's expertise in maritime sensing and mission systems with Mind Foundry's innovative AI capability, we have an exciting opportunity to deliver greater operational advantage for our customers.

This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to advancing defence technology and equipping naval forces with the tools they need to make confident, informed decisions in challenging environments."

KV Passive Sonar Page With Broadband And Contacts Side Menu
MF

Lindsay Chadwick, CEO of Mind Foundry, said:

"This partnership brings together proven maritime sensing expertise and AI-enabled acoustic analysis to focus on real operational challenges. By integrating Mind Foundry’s NIGHTINGALE with SEA's KraitSense we can enable defence customers extract more value from complex sensor data and build a clearer, faster understanding of underwater environments.

We look forward to working alongside SEA to demonstrate the potential of this combined capability and support the future needs of naval operators."

Contact Icon

About Mind Foundry

Mind Foundry is a UK sovereign AI company, spun out of the University of Oxford, that advances capability across Defence and National Security. The company delivers AI-enabled sensor advantage, providing the intelligence layer between sensors, platforms and operators. Its technology transforms complex sensor data into trusted operational intelligence, helping organisations detect earlier, understand faster and make confident decisions in complex operational environments. By integrating across sensors, systems and platforms, Mind Foundry enables customers to convert sensing advantage into decision advantage, accelerating insight while keeping human judgement at the centre of critical decisions. Designed for high-risk and operationally complex environments, its technology supports mission outcomes through trusted, adaptable and explainable AI.

Categories:
Defence