Applied Intuition cut the ribbon Friday on a new Fort Walton Beach office at JG Plaza to advance aerial autonomy and collaborative human-machine teaming for national security.
- The Silicon Valley-based physical AI company, valued at $15 billion, will use the office to accelerate work in aerial autonomy, air combat autonomy and collaborative human-machine teaming. The facility supports 83 employees.
“Florida is a central hub for airpower, munitions, and testing of some of the Department of War’s most advanced systems,” said Qasar Younis, co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition. “Applied Intuition is pairing the speed and technical expertise of Silicon Valley with the Florida Panhandle’s growing defense tech ecosystem, working shoulder-to-shoulder with operators and local leaders to deliver physical AI that wins real missions.”
The company chose Fort Walton Beach because of its proximity to Eglin Air Force Base and Florida’s family-friendly environment and business-friendly climate with low taxes, according to information provided by JG Plaza.


The office expands Applied Intuition’s existing Florida presence, where the company is developing and integrating autonomous capabilities for Group 1-3 unmanned aerial system platforms and munitions. The company is working on autonomy for individual platforms as well as coordinated swarms of munitions to increase survivability, coordination and the ability to detect, track and engage targets.
- Applied Intuition will deepen collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, accelerate live-flight experimentation and advance autonomy from test environments to operational deployment.
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, Applied Intuition creates digital infrastructure for physical AI across automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries. Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers and the U.S. military trust the company’s solutions.
The company maintains offices in Washington, D.C.; San Diego; Ann Arbor, Michigan; London; Stuttgart; Munich; Stockholm; Bangalore; Seoul; and Tokyo.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis also attended the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Great to be at the Applied Institution ribbon cutting today! Investments like this strengthen our local workforce and set our community up for long-term success. Applied Institution is officially open! 💪 pic.twitter.com/XxAXHfBIPz
— Jimmy Patronis Press Office (@PatronisFL) January 17, 2026