Edge computing firm Armada has secured equity funding from Microsoft.
First reported by Fortune, the company has closed $40 million in funding led by M12, Microsoft’s venture fund. As part of the deal, Armada’s offerings will be made available on the Azure Marketplace.
“This investment propels our total funding to over $100m and marks a significant milestone in our journey to bring AI to the Edge and bridge the digital divide,” Armada said. The company added being on Marketplace would allow Azure customers “to use pre-committed spend" on Armada’s solutions and make its technology "more accessible than ever.”
Armada emerged from stealth last year; the startup is targeting remote & off-grid applications such as defense and mining.
The California-based company offers ruggedized and self-contained satellite-connected data center modules (in 3-rack 20ft and 6-rack 40ft models) known as Galleons that use SpaceX’s Starlink network, and an Edge device and computing management platform. It also offers Edge/AI applications.
“M12 has witnessed the swift progression of Edge AI infrastructure towards practical use through years of investments. Our interactions with the Armada team bring the signal of a new era of comprehensive Edge AI solutions," said Michael Stewart, managing partner at M12. "We are confident that Armada will pioneer a definitive guide for implementing Edge AI across various challenging sectors. They are poised to seamlessly connect Edge workloads with hyperscale cloud computing resources, enhancing the customer’s capacity to derive value from their data, irrespective of its origin or resting place.”
Armada services available on Azure include its Commander Edge service – which includes the Galleon data center – as well as the Commander Connect monitoring and management system, and its Edge AI offering. Prices for Commander Edge start at $450,000 for one year.
The company has previously announced partnerships with companies including Halliburton, Pivotel, Edarat, and Skydio.
“With the support of our investors, we are in a stronger position than ever to deploy our solutions on a global scale,” added Dan Wright, co-founder and CEO at Armada. “The integration of Armada products with Azure enables our customers to seamlessly enhance operational efficiency using their existing Azure commitments. This is a game-changer for industries looking to maximize their digital transformation efforts.”
Armada raised more than $100 million to date. Previous investors in the company include Founders Fund, Lux Capital, Shield Capital, 8090 Industries, Felicis, Contrary, Valor Equity Partners, Marlinspike, 137 Ventures, Koch Real Estate Investments, and 8VC.
Forbes last year reported Armada had no customers beyond a proof-of-concept trial with mining company Nexa Resources.
Earlier this year the company signed a deal with Middle Eastern data center engineering consulting and cloud services firm Edarat Group to deploy 10 Galleons across the Gulf and Middle East.
Microsoft, meanwhile, announced its own modular container-sized data center back in 2020 - also with optional SpaceX Starlink connectivity.
