Digital Twin network selected for UK MoD's IT infrastructure

Improbable Defence and Security has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to create a Next-Generation Communications Network (NGCN) Digital Twin (DT) of its global digital and IT infrastructure, the company announced in a release on 18 October. The exact value of the contract was not revealed but is understood to be ‘multimillions' of UK pounds and that it will be executed in the next two years.

The NGCN DT will help Defence Digital, which is part of the UK's Strategic Command, to operate, plan, manage, and optimise its complex technical infrastructure, according to Improbable. The contract follows two 10-week pilot phases when the company demonstrated its ability to rapidly deliver the required outcomes.

Speaking to Janes, Joe Robinson, CEO of Improbable, said that it is a significant challenge for the MoD to deliver a new digital backbone that will provide a future-proof communications architecture, as it has a complex network.

An effective upgrade and improvement will require new capabilities, but achieving this could be “complex, risky, and time consuming”, he said. “You need to understand the current network and the impact and consequences of any upgrades and modifications.”

Robinson said that the NGCN DT will help Defence Digital understand and define the future communications architecture by understanding the current network and by illustrating how it can be evolved to a future network that is able to support new technologies such as artificial intelligence and the harnessing of mass data analytics.

“It will help predict future network demands and can then support future procurement decisions for the NGCN by providing valuable and measurable evidence for modernisation and upgrade,” he said. “You can do the ‘what ifs' using the digital model.”