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Southern Miss, Integer Technologies...

Southern Miss, Integer Technologies land $25 million defense contract

By: Lynne Jeter - July 17, 2025

Integer and USM will work together at the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise to develop innovative edge-deployed software for unmanned systems that allows them to adapt undersea warfare missions in real-time. (Photo from USM)

  • The university and defense tech company will influence the Navy’s decision-making process for seabed warfare. 

A $25 million applied research defense contract won by a partnership between the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and South Carolina-based Integer Technologies will make a difference with a clear and ever-growing danger for the U.S.: seabed warfare. 

The Office of Naval Research approved the program, Intelligent Autonomous Systems for Seabed Warfare, meant to enhance underwater missions and data collection for unmanned vessels by improving their rapid-fire decision-making capabilities. Unmanned vessels will be able to adapt more effectively to swift-changing environmental conditions and improve their ability to identify objects on the seafloor.

“This is an ideal moment for this research on software for ocean sensing and seabed warfare,” said U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “USM’s oceanography expertise will combine with Integer’s predictive technology to help us explore and master the ocean floor, earth’s last frontier. These unmanned, subsurface vessels will boost the United States’ edge in undersea warfare and support the bustling blue economy along Mississippi’s coast.” 

The seabed is primed to be the next battlefield, with infrastructure such as ubiquitous fiber-optic and telecommunications cables and deep-sea oil and gas pipelines at risk of being attacked. The U.S. Navy has been working on a $5.1 billion high-tech spy submarine to patrol the ocean floors and deploy minisubs and drones to battle hostile forces while withstanding the crushing pressure of the ocean depths. 

“The Navy’s investment in cutting-edge seabed warfare technology in Mississippi reflects well on the critical role our state continues to play in advancing our national security,” said U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. “The partnership between Integer Technologies and the University of Southern Mississippi will not only strengthen the Navy’s capabilities but also bring high-skill jobs and research opportunities to the Gulf Coast. I’m proud to support initiatives that position Mississippi as a leader in defense innovation and that create opportunities for our students, engineers, and scientists.”

USM and Integer will collaborate on developing a full solution that includes edge-deployed software tools that can assess environmental, platform, and mission data to make decisions about how to best collect and process complex datasets. They will develop predictive tools that leverage advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) that can enable unmanned platforms to adapt their missions in real-time. 

More specifically, this program will develop innovative technology for unmanned underwater systems that can autonomously analyze large, high-dimensional data sets in real-time. Increasing the independence, flexibility, and intelligence of these platforms provides the U.S. fleet with the reliable autonomous operations needed to achieve their mission and national security goals.

“This award demonstrates USM’s reputation as a leader in ocean research and blue economy innovation,” said Kelly Lucas, PhD, vice president for research at USM. “By establishing operations at the Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise, Integer Technologies is bringing high-skill jobs to the Gulf Coast and creating a technology ecosystem that will attract additional partners and investments. This program exemplifies how university-industry partnerships can drive both scientific advancement and economic development in Mississippi.”

The program combines USM’s strengths in ocean engineering and oceanography with Integer’s expertise in creating predictive software models for unmanned platforms that combine data, physics, and AI to deliver decision advantage in uncertain environments.

As part of this program, Integer has established an office at USM’s Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise Facility in Gulfport. This location allows for a close working relationship between engineers and scientists at USM and Integer, and convenient access for in-water testing in the Gulf of America.

“Integer’s presence in Gulfport will be the epicenter of our work to deploy and test AI-driven software on maritime unmanned systems,” said Duke Hartman, CEO and co-founder of Integer, which was recognized last year as South Carolina’s fastest-growing company. Integer’s portfolio features robotic and unmanned systems, sensors and perception, power and energy systems, advanced manufacturing, and cyber-physical systems.

“We’re grateful to Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith, USM, and all those in the South Mississippi community who supported this investment in the state,” said Hartman. “The beautiful Wicker Center offers direct ocean access where our team of Gulfport-based engineers will work alongside USM’s ocean scientists to make unmanned systems more intelligent and effective for our military and commercial customers.” 

About the Author(s)
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Lynne Jeter

Lynne Jeter is an award-winning business writer who penned the first book to market about the WorldCom debacle, “Disconnected: Deceit & Betrayal at WorldCom” (Wiley, 2003), and authored the biography of the late Choctaw Chief Phillip Martin, “Chief” (Quail Press, 2009). Her diverse body of work has appeared all over the world. Twice, she was named the SBA’s Mississippi Small Business Journalist of the Year. You may reach Lynne at Lynne.Jeter@gmail.com