BigBear.ai’s $250 million cash acquisition of Ask Sage, completed December 31, 2025, represents the largest defense AI infrastructure investment to date, signaling that secure AI deployment for government and regulated industries has evolved from experimental capability to mission-critical infrastructure requirement.

The acquisition addresses a fundamental bottleneck preventing enterprise AI adoption in sensitive environments: while general-purpose AI platforms prioritize features and user experience, defense and intelligence agencies require purpose-built infrastructure that maintains data sovereignty, supports classified operations, and provides audit-ready governance frameworks that commercial AI tools cannot deliver.