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Forbes Greece – STHENOS AI: The EFA GROUP “spin-off” bringing artificial intelligence to defence
At the core of STHENOS AI’s activity is the design and development of intelligent, mission-ready solutions for the defence and aerospace sector. With deep expertise in Machine Learning, Command-and-Control (C2), cyber defence and computer vision, the company develops secure AI models that enhance operational efficiency, faster decision-making and the accuracy of situational awareness.
Date
03.12.2025
Outlet
Forbes Greece
Featuring
Giorgos Gkekas
EFA GROUP, the group of companies with a strong international presence in Aerospace, Security, Defence and Industrial Cooperation, has founded a new company, STHENOS AI, specialising in the integration of Artificial Intelligence solutions.
When it was founded
STHENOS AI was officially founded in February 2025 as a spin-off of EFA GROUP. Having already developed strong software and hardware infrastructure, the group was looking for a way to gain full and independent control over the critical area of artificial intelligence.
As STHENOS AI CTO Giorgos Gkekas explained to Capital.gr and Forbes Greece on the sidelines of the 4th GenAI Summit, the creation of the company was the result of a purely strategic decision: instead of acquiring ready-made solutions or relying on consulting services, the Group chose to develop its own AI technology in-house.
The company acts as the group’s AI developer, integrating artificial intelligence solutions into all existing products and systems, with the aim of making them “smarter” and more functional. The philosophy is clear: not simple automation, but systems that understand what the user wants, recognise the environment and immediately propose courses of action. The team’s view is that technology should prepare the user for alternative scenarios and strategies, rather than being limited to simply preventing problems.
The main fields of application for STHENOS AI include Command-and-Control, logistics optimisation, telecommunications and cognitive routing.
Greek base, international focus
The STHENOS AI portfolio is clearly export-oriented, in line with the group’s international outward strategy, while interest from foreign markets in advanced AI solutions for defence is growing rapidly.
The company’s team is based in Greece and already numbers 15 people, with the aim of reaching 20 in the first wave of growth.
The new reality of defence
At the 4th GenAI Summit, Giorgos Gkekas took part in the panel “AI-Driven Civil Protection and Defence”, where he highlighted how artificial intelligence is reshaping critical areas of modern defence, from ISR and cyber defence to logistics and next-generation C2. Not as “nice-to-have” additions, but as the new foundation for faster decisions, integrated situational awareness and resilience in complex environments.
He also addressed the conditions for the sector’s sustainable growth: clear national frameworks, access to real data and test ranges, and a long-term strategy that encourages innovation within the country.
Strategic partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Infinitum
It is worth noting that last week STHENOS AI announced its strategic partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Infinitum to deliver an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI/ML) infrastructure and containerised environment, designed to accelerate innovation in defence, security and software.
The infrastructure will operate on STHENOS AI’s premises, ensuring complete security, autonomy and data sovereignty in line with the latest cybersecurity standards.
The project is part of EFA GROUP’s broader strategy to develop independent, secure and high-performance AI ecosystems in Greece.
The ultimate goal is to strengthen industrial and technological autonomy and the ability to develop mission-critical AI applications in a controlled environment.
EFA GROUP
EFA Group is a Greek group with an international presence in aerospace, security, defence and industrial cooperation. The Group employs more than 250 people, most of them highly specialised engineers and scientists, and maintains six offices in key markets: Greece, Cyprus, Switzerland, the USA, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Through this international structure, it serves a client base spanning 40 countries worldwide.
The Group’s ecosystem includes EFA VENTURES (Industrial Cooperation), SCYTALYS (defence software design and development), ES SYSTEMS (sensors and IoT), EPICOS (global B2B defence information platform), UCANDRONE (unmanned systems), AETHER AERONAUTICS (aerial targets), STHENOS AI (artificial intelligence solutions) and THYREOS CYBER.