BigBear.ai has announced it’s signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ask Sage, Inc., a generative AI platform used widely across the federal government, defense, and other regulated sectors.
The move marks one of the most significant consolidations yet in the fast-evolving market for secure, scalable AI—and it says a lot about where the federal and defense industrial base (DIB) are heading next.
AI Software and Mission Services
Ask Sage has carved out a reputation for building a secure, model-agnostic platform for generative and agentic AI, already supporting more than 100,000 users across 16,000 government teams. Its focus has been enabling agencies to safely experiment with AI inside accredited, zero-trust environments.
BigBear.ai, a publicly traded contractor known for its AI-powered decision intelligence and analytics work, brings a very different kind of infrastructure—contracts, delivery scale, and integration experience across defense, intelligence, and homeland missions.
Together, they’re aiming to bridge one of the biggest gaps in government AI right now: how to operationalize trusted AI beyond pilots.
The deal, valued at roughly $250 million, is expected to close in early 2026 pending regulatory approval.
Leadership Shift
As part of the acquisition, Ask Sage founder Nicolas M. Chaillan will join BigBear.ai as Chief Technology Officer.
Chaillan, the former U.S. Air Force Chief Software Officer, has been one of the most outspoken figures pushing for faster adoption of secure AI in government. His focus at Ask Sage—building a composable, model-agnostic AI platform for classified and regulated environments—reflects his long-running frustration with slow government modernization efforts.
In his new role as CTO, Chaillan is expected to drive product velocity, maintain the model-agnostic approach, and accelerate deployment across the federal landscape.
His move could also help BigBear.ai strengthen its technical credibility and reconnect with the open innovation energy that’s been driving recent government AI adoption.
The Secure AI Gap
This acquisition highlights a few realities that have become increasingly hard to ignore:
- AI Pilots Are Easy — Scaling Is Hard. Many agencies have dozens of “sandbox” AI projects, but few have achieved enterprise-level deployment. The integration and accreditation gap remains wide.
- Government Buyers Want Stability. Agencies need vendors who can deliver securely and sustain the work. BigBear.ai’s public-company status and compliance posture will matter to contracting officers as budgets expand.
- Model Agnosticism Is Still the Outlier. Ask Sage’s multi-model, multi-cloud framework stands in contrast to the lock-in strategies of major tech providers. Whether that approach scales under a larger enterprise remains to be seen.
- The Talent Question. Chaillan’s appointment underscores how rare it still is to see seasoned government technologists in senior leadership at major contractors. His success could influence whether others follow.
the Federal AI Wave
Federal AI budgets are projected to ramp sharply in FY26–27, as agencies move from exploration to implementation.
By merging Ask Sage’s software stack with BigBear.ai’s contracting reach, the companies position themselves to move faster when those dollars start to flow. But timing will be critical—especially as policymakers demand more transparency, governance, and certification around how AI models are trained and deployed.
If this deal closes as expected, it could represent a meaningful step toward scalable, secure AI in mission environments. But it also sets a high bar.
The question now is whether the combined organization can maintain the agility and innovation of a startup while meeting the compliance and delivery expectations of federal customers.
That balance—between speed and security, between open innovation and enterprise risk—will determine whether this acquisition becomes a milestone or just another headline.
