D4D Hackathon lays foundation for defense AI ecosystem in APAC

David Choi, founder of EGCED Tech and operator of Deploy for Defense (D4D), speaks during D4D Hackathon APAC in Yangjae-dong, Seocho District, Seoul, July 3. Courtesy of D4D

Deploy for Defense (D4D) Hackathon APAC successfully completed its inaugural event in Seoul, laying the foundation for a defense artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem in the region.

According to D4D, Sunday, it hosted the hackathon event from July 3-5, with more than 200 builders and officials from academia and defense AI companies including Palantir Technologies, Stealth Mole and BONE AI.

The event awarded eight teams across five tracks. A team from BONE AI won the autonomous and unmanned systems track. Teams DoS and ANGAE won in the defense intelligence category, while DELPHI, SEASIDE and Nyx were recognized in battlefield networks, maritime domain awareness and combat readiness, respectively.

Supporty and Kestrel also received special awards linked to an Oregon-based UAS accelerator program in the United States. Organizations from Oregon are scheduled to visit Korea on July 14 to sign a memorandum of understanding, marking the first case in Korea in which a domestic hackathon resulted in a direct U.S. market entry.

“Korea's defense industry has long been defined by the export success stories of major companies such as Hanwha Aerospace and Korea Aerospace Industries, and this was the first event to identify the startup and builder ecosystem beneath them,” said David Choi, founder of EGCED Tech and operator of D4D.

“Our next goal is to build the Asia-Pacific region's leading platform where defense startups and their technologies and data converge, similar to Ukraine’s BRAVE1.” BRAVE1 is a government-established defense technology platform that connects defense technology startups, the military and investors to rapidly develop and deploy advanced drones and AI-powered weapons.

Participants develop software during Deploy for Defense (D4D) Hackathon APAC in Yangjae-dong, Seocho District, Seoul, July 3. Courtesy of D4D

According to D4D, 92 percent of the event's participants came from outside the traditional defense industry, including IT, research organization and startup sectors. The organization said the data showed that the event could serve as a gateway to attract civilian talent into the defense sector and support the government's initiative to foster 100 defense startups by 2030.

D4D also hosted Defense Builders Night on July 3, bringing together about 140 participants from startups, investment firms and military and government organizations to exchange views on the defense AI ecosystem. Companies including BONE AI and Stealth Mole introduced their technologies.