Antillion Brings Data Center Performance to the Tactical Edge

1) What are some of the key challenges your customers face related to generating, storing and processing high volumes of data?

At Antillion, we build for customers operating where real-world demands push technology to its limits. These are environments that are harsh, unpredictable, and often disconnected — where you can’t count on infrastructure, power, or even a network signal.

The challenges? They’re complex and relentless.

First, there’s the environment itself. We’re talking about kit that needs to survive inside armoured vehicles filled with dust or bolted to poles in sub-zero Arctic winds. These aren’t lab conditions — this is real-world brutality where traditional IT just can’t cope.

Then there’s SWaP – size, weight, and power. We design platforms that can be carried in a rucksack or strapped inside a vehicle. Performance is still expected — but within incredibly tight physical and power constraints. That’s a huge design challenge.

Connectivity’s another big one. Our customers often operate in degraded or disconnected networks. There’s no cloud to rely on. So, everything — from data ingestion to processing and decision-making — needs to happen at the point of contact. Locally. Instantly.

The operational tempo is relentless too. When you’re in a mission-critical situation, latency isn’t an inconvenience — it’s a risk. Insight has to be real-time. You’re talking about sensor data flowing into compute, through analysis, and into an actionable decision — in seconds or less.

And lastly, usability under pressure. These systems aren’t being deployed by sysadmins — it could be soldiers, field engineers, or emergency responders. There’s no time for training manuals. It just needs to work — fast, reliably, and intuitively. That’s what we focus on delivering.

2) How are you helping to address these challenges with the products and services you provide?

We’ve designed our PACE platforms from the ground up to bring data centre-grade capability to the edge — without compromising on performance, durability, or usability.

For us, it always starts with form and function. We don’t design for static data centre environments — we design for rooftops, vehicle interiors, trenches, and backpacks. Half-width, short-depth, modular hardware that’s built to fit real-world environments. That’s the basis of the PACE design language.

On the compute side, we’re integrating serious horsepower. We’re talking AMD EPYC, Intel Xeon, and even ARM — plus accelerators from NVIDIA and others — packed into ruggedized, sealed, and IP-rated platforms that can be mounted in a vehicle or carried by hand. These systems aren’t just tough — they’re powerful.

Storage is a big part of the picture, too. Solidigm’s EDSFF SSDs have been a game-changer for us. We’re now deploying up to 120 TB per drive with high throughput — and they’re holding up brilliantly in high-vibration, high-temperature scenarios. Whether it’s a wearable system or something mounted, we can keep massive volumes of data local, reliable, and fast.

Then there’s the design philosophy. We obsess over usability — intuitive deployment, straightforward servicing, and no-nonsense operation. These systems have to work for people in the field, under pressure. The goal is always the same: the tech disappears, the mission stays front and centre.

Whether it’s the ultra-portable PACE AIR or the fully ruggedized PACE FRONTIER, we’re not just making edge compute possible — we’re making it powerful, deployable, and trusted in the toughest environments.

3) How has the shift to high-density SSDs impacted your ability to handle massive-scale workloads, particularly in industries like military, industrial and/or security?

It’s hard to overstate the impact high-density SSDs — especially Solidigm’s E1.S and E1.L — have had on what we can achieve at the edge.

Before, storage was a compromise. If you wanted a compact system, you had to accept limited capacity. Not anymore. Now, even our smallest PACE units — like the A211 — can handle massive mission datasets: multi-stream 4K ISR, full platform telemetry, and raw AI training data. And they can do it right where the data’s generated.

The NVMe performance is a huge enabler. We’re not waiting for data to move — we’re running real-time analytics, AI inference, and sensor fusion right there in the field. That’s crucial when you’re working in denied or degraded networks where the cloud just isn’t an option.

The efficiency is game-changing too — more capacity per watt, per millimetre, and per kilogram. That means smaller, lighter platforms that don’t sacrifice on performance or endurance — exactly what’s needed in vehicle, wearable, or airborne deployments.

From a reliability standpoint, Solidigm’s been rock solid. Across hundreds of deployed drives in some truly hostile environments, we’ve seen zero failures. That kind of trust is critical in military and security deployments — we don’t get second chances in the field.

Fewer drives mean fewer cables, faster builds, and simpler logistics. For our customers, that translates directly into reduced operational burden, easier maintenance, and faster time to deployment.

To put it simply: these drives are what let us bring data centre-class storage to the edge — and make it rugged, mobile, and mission-ready.

4) Can you elaborate on the role of high-capacity SSDs in enabling energy efficiency and sustainability within your data centers?

We don’t build traditional data centres — our philosophy is all about disaggregation and decentralisation. We’re taking compute out into the world, wherever the mission demands it. High-capacity SSDs are critical to making that model both sustainable and efficient.

For starters, SSDs give us a much better performance-per-watt ratio than spinning discs. That means more compute and more storage for less power — which is essential when you're relying on batteries or field generators. In remote, mobile deployments, every watt counts.

They also run cooler. That sounds simple, but it makes a huge difference in our sealed, rugged systems like PACE Frontier. We don’t have the luxury of big fans or data centre HVAC — SSDs let us keep things thermally efficient without adding complexity or extra energy overhead.

Another big factor is data movement — or rather, the lack of it. Because we can store and process petabytes locally on the edge, we’re not constantly pushing data back to central infrastructure. That dramatically reduces energy consumption, especially across constrained or expensive networks.

There’s also the sustainability of the platforms themselves. SSD durability helps extend hardware life. Combine that with our Evergreen program — where we upgrade and refresh existing systems instead of replacing them — and you’re looking at a far longer lifecycle. That means less waste, fewer shipments, and a smaller overall footprint.

It’s not just about energy efficiency — it’s about operational sustainability. We’re building systems that last longer, use less, and deliver more — wherever they’re deployed.

5) What opportunities do these advanced storage solutions unlock for your clients in terms of real-time analytics, data accessibility, and scalability?

QLC drives have been a game-changer for what our customers can achieve in the field. They’ve opened up entirely new mission profiles — especially for defense, security, and industrial applications — by enabling us to deliver massive storage and lightning-fast performance in incredibly compact, rugged formats.

We’re now running AI and analytics right on the edge, on systems the size of a lunchbox. Clients are deploying models for things like object detection, anomaly spotting, and pattern recognition — and doing it in real time, exactly where the data’s being generated. There’s no need to wait for upload or connectivity — the insight happens there and then.

That’s crucial in DIL environments (Disconnected, Intermittent, or Limited networks). With these QLC drives, the data stays local and accessible even when comms are down. It’s not just about speed; it’s about continuity and control. For our customers, that kind of autonomy is often mission-critical.

What’s more, QLC drive density means we can scale up without scaling out. Using Solidigm’s E1.S or E1.L modules, our customers can multiply their storage without changing the physical footprint — same chassis, same power draw, just more capability. That’s especially important when size and weight are tightly constrained.

This tech also helps us move faster. Build and provisioning times are down by up to 30%, which gets systems into the field quicker. In operational terms, that can be the difference between acting now and reacting too late.

And perhaps most exciting — we’re enabling entirely new types of missions. Cybersecurity at the edge, autonomous platforms, predictive maintenance using AI — these just weren’t feasible before. Now they are, thanks to the performance and resilience these QLC drives bring.

As we expand the PACE portfolio with the latest high-core-count processors, greater memory, and high-capacity Solidigm storage, we’re developing more powerful and mission-specific platforms for the far edge. Each one is true to our design-first ethos and built to deliver more compute, more capability, and more outcomes wherever the mission takes them.

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