Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE)

What Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE) does

The Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE) is a Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence established in 2017 and operated by Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. It develops advanced analytical tools, AI/ML systems, privacy-preserving technologies, and operations research models for the U.S. homeland security enterprise, serving DHS and its operational components (TSA, CBP, USCG, CISA, ICE). Its mission is to improve real-time decision-making, resource allocation, and operational efficiency at national borders, ports, and airports.

CAOE's product portfolio spans roughly nine named research tools and frameworks. These include MEGAWATT, an evaluation framework for large language models rooted in Intelligence Community Directive 203; MCAT, a decision-support tool for modeling cascading disruptions to the Marine Transportation System; Cerberus, a privacy-preserving computation platform combining fully homomorphic encryption with trusted execution environments; REVS, a human-AI interaction framework for security screening; CHIAUS, an SBOM-based software risk framework; IDNet, a dataset of approximately 600,000 synthetic identity documents for fraud detection; a Federated Query Optimizer for privacy-preserving analytics; the SCRIPS supply chain resilience workshop framework; and a TSA checkpoint workforce management optimization system deployed across more than 2 million daily passenger screenings. Underlying capabilities include generative AI evaluation, computer vision (face-matching biometrics, XAI baggage screening), NLP, optimization, predictive analytics, and anomaly detection.

CAOE is not a commercial entity and generates no product revenue. It is funded through grants from the DHS Science and Technology Directorate as part of ASU's research infrastructure, and its approximately 10 personnel operate as a multidisciplinary consortium drawing on partner universities including Rutgers, UIUC, Notre Dame, Indiana University, and USC. Go-to-market is direct engagement with DHS component agencies, with dissemination via academic publications, seminar series, biennial reviews, and the DASSH student design challenge.

Name

Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE)

Legal name

Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency

Website

https://caoe.asu.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE) is a DHS Center of Excellence operated by Arizona State University that develops AI/ML, privacy-preserving, and operations research tools for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its components, including TSA, CBP, USCG, and CISA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CAOE develops and transitions advanced analytical tools, AI/ML frameworks, and decision-support systems into operational use by the Department of Homeland Security and its components. Core offerings include AI evaluation tools (MEGAWATT), privacy-preserving technologies (Cerberus, Federated Query Optimizer, IDNet dataset), security screening research frameworks (REVS), supply chain disruption modeling (MCAT), and TSA workforce optimization systems. Research outputs are developed through a multi-university academic consortium and transitioned directly to federal homeland security agencies for operational deployment.

Product overview

CAOE operates as a DHS Center of Excellence led by Arizona State University, developing a portfolio of research tools, frameworks, and decision-support systems for homeland security applications. The portfolio includes AI evaluation tools (MEGAWATT), privacy-preserving technologies (Cerberus, Federated Query Optimizer, IDNet dataset), security screening frameworks (REVS), supply chain resilience tools (MCAT), and workforce optimization systems (Dynamic Workforce Management for TSA). These tools are developed in collaboration with universities nationwide and deployed for DHS operational use, with a focus on bridging cutting-edge research to practical homeland security implementations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MEGAWATT (Multisource AI Scorecard Table for Evaluating Generative AI in Worker-Automation Team Tasks)

Quantifiable outcome

• Screening over 2 million passengers daily through TSA workforce optimization tools
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability11 records

Feature5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Palantir Technologies: Large commercial data analytics and AI platform with deep DHS/ICE/CBP deployments; comparable in building decision-support and operational-analytics tools for homeland-security agencies, but as a commercial vendor with proprietary platforms rather than a research center.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Major federal consulting and engineering integrator with a substantial homeland-security and AI/analytics practice serving DHS components; overlaps with CAOE in AI evaluation, privacy-preserving analytics, and screening optimization but operates at far larger scale as a commercial integrator.

Direct peers

• MITRE Corporation: Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) operating multiple federally funded R&D centers for the government; comparable not-for-profit research-operator structure with deep DHS and broader federal-agency relationships.
• SENTRY (Soft Target Engineering to Neutralize the Threat Reality): DHS Center of Excellence at Northeastern University explicitly co-hosted with CAOE on the DASSH student design challenge; comparable DHS-funded research-center model, mission scope, and university-hosted governance structure.
• RAND Corporation: Non-profit research institute conducting policy and operational analysis for federal agencies including DHS; comparable federally funded research model delivering analytical tools, frameworks, and decision-support products.
• START (National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism): DHS Center of Excellence at the University of Maryland studying terrorism and responses; shares the same DHS CoE funding model, multi-university consortium structure, and homeland-security-applied research mandate.
• CREATE (Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events): DHS Center of Excellence led by USC focused on terrorism/criminal-behavior risk modeling and economic analysis; comparable federally funded multi-university research consortium producing analytical tools for homeland security.
• SRI International: Non-profit R&D institute working across AI, computer vision, and security for government clients; comparable mission-driven research organization producing advanced analytical and sensing capabilities for federal sponsors.
• ALERT (Awareness and Localization of Explosives-Related Threats): DHS Center of Excellence focused on explosives detection and related screening R&D; directly comparable DHS-funded research consortium with screening-technology overlap to CAOE's REVS and TSA workforce work.
• CINA (Center for Infrastructure-Based Safety and Security): Former DHS Center of Excellence at the University of Virginia focused on critical infrastructure resilience and security; comparable federally funded research-center model targeting DHS-component operational needs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@caoeasu/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caoe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE)