Microsoft has signed a contract with the Pentagon to supply an augmented reality headset, worth nearly $ 22 billion over the next decade. The device, based on the Hololens designed by the technological giant and already on the market, will increase the efficiency and safety of soldiers, according to Alex Kipman, head of the division of the Redmond house that deals with mixed reality.
Thus enters a more mature phase a project started two years ago and which provoked protests from Microsoft employees. The headset that will be worn by soldiers for training and in the field uses sensors for night and thermal vision as well as providing data to help engage targets and make tactical decisions. “The program offers increased situational awareness, enabling information sharing and decision making in a variety of scenarios,” said Kipman. “This agreement strengthens Microsoft’s position in the Pentagon and the Department of Defense,” notes Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush. In 2019, after employee protests over an agreement with the US government, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella defended the choice by stressing that the company had decided not to deny democratically elected governments access to technologies to protect the freedoms we enjoy. . This contract comes after another one more recently signed with the Pentagon, worth 10 billion dollars, for the provision of cloud services.