SEMPRE finds smartphones survive a nuclear EMP
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SEMPRE, the technology company created to secure America's critical infrastructure, today announced that in the course of testing its new secure private 5G and edge solution it discovered, in conjunction with Jaxon Engineering, that certain commercial-off-the-shelf smartphones were able to resist an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can be caused by the detonation of a nuclear device. Tested models include the Apple iPhone 12 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G.
"We know how to keep telecommunication survivable now," said SEMPRE CEO Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding (USAF ret). "We've been using half the solution every day without realizing it; there's clearly no need to build a new smartphone. The other half of the solution is a secure EMP-hardened digital infrastructure that will keep our nation connected and communicating when it was previously thought impossible."
General Spalding is a nuclear operations expert and former B-2 pilot, having served as the Operations Group Commander of the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO. General Spalding has held senior positions in strategy and diplomacy within the Defense and State Departments for more than 26 years.
"Knowing that smartphones like the iPhone and Galaxy will survive an EMP opens a lot of possibilities for our military to plan around. Of course, it doesn't matter unless we have the telecommunications infrastructure that survives as well," added General Timothy Ray (USAF ret). General Ray is a retired four-star general who last served as Commander of Global Strike Command, where he was in charge of all nuclear forces. He recently joined SEMPRE as a Strategic Advisor.
This discovery was made in Colorado Springs by Jaxon Engineering, a specialist in EMP shielding for the U.S. Department of Defense and other security-focused customers. The tests were being made on the latest military-grade data centers manufactured by SEMPRE. The Apple iPhone 12 was tested using iOS 14.7.1, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G had the Android 11 operating system.
"We've seen some parts of the U.S. government take steps to secure critical communications infrastructure, but we need our domestic commercial infrastructure to show the same military-grade resiliency," said Scott White, CEO of Jaxon Engineering. "We intend to continue testing to get a better understanding of what is and isn't possible for these mobile phones in the most extreme conditions."
SEMPRE's patent-pending technology is designed for mission-critical communications which meet stringent U.S. government military standards (MIL-SPECS) for EMP-hardening and resiliency. Designed for use in military applications, SEMPRE also ensures that U.S. critical infrastructure will survive the most challenging environments. The platform and its technology further enable a secure, end-to-end, truly private 5G experience, providing ultra-low latency AR and VR and superior processing speeds at the farthest reaches of the edge. Furthermore, SEMPRE's technology is optimized for advanced AI/ML to allow for enhanced military operation for the autonomous battlefield.
