Zuppa has entered a new partnership with Germany based startup Eighth Dimension to develop AI driven swarm capabilities for unmanned aerial systems. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to work on teaming algorithms and real time object recognition that will allow groups of drones to sense, decide, and move together with minimal human input.
The collaboration will focus on bringing new autonomous functions to Zuppa platforms already used in defence and industrial environments. The teams will work on how these systems will operate in the field, which environments the AI models will be tested in, and when prototype swarms will be ready for live trials.
Joint research across India and Germany
Under the agreement, Zuppa and Eighth Dimension plan to begin joint research and development efforts in both India and Germany. The roadmap includes building AI models, integrating them with Zuppa autopilots, and running live trials of swarm behaviour in controlled environments.
The companies expect early field demonstrations to begin in the current year. These will focus on real time sensing, formation control, and coordinated responses to changing conditions on the ground.
Combining rugged hardware with distributed AI
Venkatesh Sai, founder and technical director at Zuppa, said the partnership is about pushing unmanned systems into a new phase of autonomy. He highlighted that Eighth Dimension brings deep expertise in distributed AI and context learning, while Zuppa specialises in robust, cybersecure unmanned aerial vehicles.
Eighth Dimension builds frameworks that allow drones and robots to perceive their surroundings, reason in real time, and act on those decisions. Its technology is already used in defence, logistics, and surveillance. Zuppa designs and manufactures autopilots and unmanned systems for defence and industrial customers with a focus on secure operation.
Founder Gaganpreet Singh said the collaboration connects European AI research with Indian engineering and manufacturing strength. The long term vision is to support large scale, collaborative drone operations for missions where multiple aircraft must work together rather than as single platforms.
Strengthening India’s drone ecosystem
Zuppa is already an active player in India’s unmanned systems ecosystem. The company previously partnered with Chennai based Garuda Aerospace in a deal that combined investment and product orders to advance secure drone technology. That partnership aligned with India’s wider Aatmanirbhar Bharat push for self reliance in critical technologies.
With the new MoU, Zuppa and Eighth Dimension aim to move beyond single vehicle autonomy and into true swarm intelligence where fleets of drones can share information, cover larger areas, and respond faster during complex missions.
For more updates on AI, defence, and emerging tech, follow Tech Moves Instagram and Tech Moves Facebook.
