Viasat, Inc. is set to develop a next-generation Ethernet Data Encryptor (EDE) to protect classified data across U.S. Government cloud data centers and transport networks.
The work falls under a sole-source, multi-million dollar Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) award. As part of this award, Viasat will design and develop a high-assurance (formerly Type 1), high-speed EDE that meets the most stringent security standards for safeguarding information up to the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) level.
The effort will be led by Viasat’s government encryption team under its Defense and Advanced Technologies segment, which will handle the development, certification, and sustainment of the new encryptor to address evolving government specifications, cloud communications demands, and emerging security threats.
Viasat’s first-generation KG-142 high-assurance, high-speed EDE has been securing cloud and transport networks since 2017. This next-generation solution will extend those capabilities, supporting increased bandwidth demands, reduced power consumption, and advanced device management.
These capabilities are increasingly critical as Department of Defense networks adopt cloud architectures and support the Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability. Demand for high-assurance encryption across cloud data centers and transport networks continues to rise.
The upcoming EDE is expected to deliver 16 times the bandwidth and approximately 60% power savings compared to the current generation, while maintaining the same physical footprint. It will offer up to 3.2 Tbps of aggregate encryption bandwidth per standard rack unit—sufficient to encrypt and decrypt over 100,000 simultaneous 4K video streams every minute.
The system will be built on Viasat’s PSIAM™ technology architecture, which underpins its high-assurance encryptor portfolio. PSIAM™ provides 100% reprogrammable, intelligent protection that evolves through software updates, minimizing the need for hardware replacement.
David Schmolke, Vice President of Viasat Mission Connections and Cybersecurity, commented, “This award highlights Viasat’s proven heritage and innovative approach towards meeting the future demands of security, space, power, and bandwidth requirements of government cloud data centers.
“We’re proud to be trusted to continue our work with the government to meet the protection and high-speed requirements warfighters need. Our next generation EDE is designed to meet customers’ increased AI-driven demands for bandwidth while providing the flexibility to operate their data centers with cutting edge automation and responsiveness.”
