Whitespace, Google and Defence Holdings PLC Partner to Operationalise the UK’s Information Advantage
The project's central goal is to operationalise the UK’s information advantage by developing capabilities to counter disinformation, digital vulnerabilities, and narrative manipulation.
Built on the Google Gemini technology stack, Project Ixian is being engineered with a "sovereign-by-design" architecture intended for future deployment on Google's sovereign cloud platform, Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), including air-gapped options. The initiative directly supports key UK defence policies, including the Strategic Defence Review 2025 (SDR25) and the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), by promoting rapid innovation cycles, open architectures, and mission-driven partnerships. Whitespace serves as the rapid engineering delivery partner, co-developing the platform to be scalable, operationally relevant, and prepared for future integration within NATO frameworks.
Project Overview and Objectives
Announced in September and entering its next delivery phase as of October 6, 2025, Project Ixian represents a focused effort to bolster the UK's capabilities in the digital information domain.
Primary Goal: To develop and operationalise the UK's inaugural sovereign AI product centered on information integrity and resilience.
Core Mission: To counter threats such as disinformation, digital vulnerabilities, and narrative manipulation, treating information as a form of critical national infrastructure.
Design Philosophy: The project is engineered to be "sovereign by design, scalable from inception, and operationally relevant," ensuring it meets stringent security requirements while delivering practical value to end-users.
Key Partners and Roles
The project is a tripartite collaboration, with each partner bringing distinct expertise to the initiative.
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Rapid Engineering and Delivery Partner: Acts as the delivery partner to Defence Holdings and a certified Google Partner. Whitespace's teams are co-developing Project Ixian's core services, hardening AI pipelines, embedding zero-trust security patterns, and preparing the system for its eventual deployment on an air-gapped Google Distributed Cloud. The company focuses on translating Defence end-user needs into fieldable software. |
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Strategic Partner: A primary partner in the development of Project Ixian. |
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Hyperscale Provider: Serves as the technology provider, offering the Google Gemini stack for AI development and the Google Cloud Platform (GCP & GDC) for deployment, iteration, and scaling. The partnership leverages Google's Defence team to align hyperscale capabilities with sovereign defence outcomes. |
Technical Architecture and Development Pathway
Project Ixian employs a two-phase cloud strategy to balance rapid development with the stringent requirements of a sovereign system.
AI Foundation: The core AI capabilities leverage the Google Gemini technology stack to accelerate model development, enhance multimodal understanding, and ensure secure, policy-aligned inference.
Current Phase (Proof of Value): The initial build and testing phase is deployed on Google’s commercial cloud (GCP). This environment enables rapid iteration, system integration, and performance benchmarking, shortening development cycles.
Target Deployment Environment (Sovereign): The system is being engineered for future deployment on Google Distributed Cloud (GDC), Google’s sovereign cloud platform. This pathway is designed to support:
- Stringent data residency and security controls.
- Full sovereign control over data and operations.
- Deployment in air-gapped environments.
Future Scalability: The architecture includes a planned route for scaling the capability into NATO via the Google Distributed Cloud platform, in partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence.
Strategic Alignment with UK Defence Policy
Project Ixian is explicitly designed to contribute directly to the objectives outlined in major UK defence and industrial strategies.
Alignment with Strategic Defence Review 2025 (SDR25)
The project addresses the core tenets of SDR25 by:
- Promoting an Integrated Force: Developing data- and digital-centric capabilities that complement conventional military power.
- Accelerating Innovation: Adhering to the demand for innovation cycles measured in "months, not years" through its rapid PoV-first development approach.
- Focusing on the Information Domain: Directly tackling the challenges of disinformation and narrative manipulation, which are central to SDR25's emphasis on information warfare alongside ISR, cyber, and autonomy.
Alignment with Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS)
The project's structure and goals are in lockstep with the DIS mission-driven model:
- Faster R&D Pull-Through: The GCP-to-GDC pathway shortens the time from concept to operational deployment.
- Open Architectures: The system is designed for interoperability and integration with other Defence systems and prime contractors, supporting seamless data flows.
- Sovereign Capability at Scale: The "sovereign-by-design" approach ensures that architecture, controls, and data pathways meet national assurance requirements and support operational independence from inception.
Future Outlook
Project Ixian is positioned as the first of a "multi-product pipeline" moving from concept to operational use through the Defence Technologies platform. As the Defence Industrial Strategy evolves, Whitespace and its partners intend to continue applying their "software-first, sovereign-by-design" approach to meet the UK's defence needs. The collaboration's stated purpose is to build the "sovereign, software-defined capabilities the UK needs," ensuring the nation is "Secure Today, Ready for Tomorrow."
