Arthur McMiler
Rancher Government Solutions and Norseman Defense Technologies have partnered to develop Odin’s Edge, an artificial intelligence-powered cloud-native appliance for defense, intelligence and emergency response use in austere environments. RGS said Tuesday that the autonomous edge AI platform combines its hardened Kubernetes-native software stack with Norseman’s tactical hardware.
The partners engineered Odin’s Edge to operate using generator or house power and optimized the offering for lightweight, GPU-capable platforms that can be mounted on tactical vehicles, stored in an overhead bin or fit in a backpack.
What Odin’s Edge Offers
The platform offers real-time AI and compute capabilities and integrates the full RGS suite, including Rancher Manager for Kubernetes orchestration, Harvester for secure virtualization and Longhorn for persistent data services. Odin’s Edge is designed to provide users with AI/ML inference from drone feeds and sensor inputs. It is also useful in geospatial mapping and mission logistics in disconnected locations.
Ryan Lewis, CEO of RGS, described the platform as a “true cloud-native appliance” with capabilities far exceeding legacy, cloud-dependent edge offerings. “This system enables a new set of mission capabilities by operating independently of the cloud and prioritizing autonomy, security and compute capacity,” the company’s head stressed.
