AI infrastructure management software startup ASI reaches a $3 billion valuation after raising $325 million in funding

An artificial intelligence startup called ASI Inc. that creates complex models of air traffic and energy networks announced today that it has raised $325 million in Series C funding, bringing its valuation to a whopping $3 billion.

The round was led by Spark Capital and joined by participants including Citadel Securities, Craft Ventures, Meritech Capital, Energy Impact Partners and Andreessen Horowitz.

The startup, formerly known as Air Space Intelligence, is an AI company that develops boundary models to model physical reality and simulate future scenarios so that its customers can plan and orchestrate the operations of critical infrastructure in real time.

It is aimed at companies in the aerospace, defense and energy industries. For example, it works with the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines such as United Airlines Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. to simulate and predict what’s happening in the airspace so they can plan their flight operations. It gives pilots and air traffic controllers the opportunity to plan ahead, reduce delays and increase flight safety and efficiency.

In addition, ASI works with the US Army, US Air Force and others, providing them with AI-driven command and control software used to manage their daily operations. It also helps companies in the energy sector, including grid operators, by allowing them to simulate their grid operations and plan for peak demand.

ASI founder and CEO Phillip Buckendorf (pictured) said he believes future economic growth depends on giving the people who run the country’s most important infrastructure the ability to predict and predict scenarios in advance so they can avoid failures. “While the broader technology ecosystem has spent hundreds of billions teaching AI to manipulate words and generate text, ASI is heavily focused on AI systems that can manage and control physical assets,” he pointed out. “This capital ensures that ASI acts as America’s engine: the automated nervous system that keeps the country running.”

While hundreds of billions have been spent teaching AI to manipulate words and create videos, ASI is building AI systems that can manage and control critical physical infrastructure – where there is no margin for error.

Today we announced our $325 million Series C to scale America’s… pic.twitter.com/l133h8H92E

— ASI (@AirSpaceIntel) October 20, 2026

The round follows a significant customer win for ASI. In June, the company signed a multi-year, $875 million contract with the FAA to manage future U.S. air traffic with its AI platform. Impressively, the company won the 12-year contract ahead of larger and better-known rivals such as Palantir Technologies Inc. and Thales SE, both of which made aggressive offers, according to Bloomberg.

In air traffic scenarios, ASI’s system combines data from flight routes, real-time air traffic, weather and air traffic controller staffing to predict congestion and develop ways to work around problems and avoid delays. The FAA implemented the software at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC last month and plans to expand it to all major US airports in the future.

The contract was a significant win for ASI, making the startup one of only four technology companies to receive a federal contract of this size since 2000. Since then, ASI has received another major contract with the US Army. Earlier this month, the company announced that it had secured a five-year, $99 million contract to supply AI software to the military for its command and control program. Another large customer is National Grid USA Service Company Inc., which uses ASI’s software for planning purposes.

Going forward, ASI said the money from today’s round will help it expand further into the aviation, defense and energy sectors, and also target new industries such as logistics. The company also plans to expand its research and development teams to expand the capabilities of its software.

Photo: ASI