Company Interview / AI, XR & hardware: Vection’s $22M defence push

Key points

Focus on combining AI, extended reality and hardware engineering for B2B clients Notable projects include Trenitalia and NATO-approved defence customers Significant multi-year defence framework agreement worth up to $22.3 million Sector focus: defence, healthcare, retail, real estate, with global M&A expansion underway

Lorenzo Biagi from Vection Technologies (ASX:VR1) sets out an ambition for the company to scale its artificial intelligence and extended reality platform across multiple global sectors. Biagi states that Vection’s key differentiation comes from combining AI, extended reality and in-house hardware design, which he views as a rare capability mix in the market. The business is currently entirely B2B, with clients ranging from European transport operators to NATO-approved defence customers and an Australian real estate developer.

Biagi highlights a deployment for Trenitalia, Italy’s state-owned passenger rail operator, where Vection delivers a digital human-powered totem able to understand and speak sign language. He presents this as an example of how the technology supports accessibility while showcasing real-world AI and extended reality integration. On defence, Biagi points to a framework agreement he describes as “very significant”, valued at up to $22.3 million over three to five years, focused on mission-critical hardware and AI-driven software for real-time decision-making in the field.

Vection is currently Europe-centric but listed on the ASX, and Biagi signals an active M&A pipeline, with acquisitions underway in Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore, and a potential larger deal in the United States. He portrays Vection as a seven-year-old, already profitable, growth company with substantial global expansion potential.