Originally published in the RichmondInno

By Drew Hansen - Assistant Managing Editor

July 25, 2022, 12:20pm EDT

Empower AI, a federal technology contractor based in Reston that until recently was known as NCI Information Systems Inc., opened a new Richmond-area facility on Wednesday that expands its presence in the region.

The company has turned its focus in recent years to its AI platform, called the Empower AI Platform, and is marketing its adoption across federal defense, civilian and health care agencies. The platform, which it rolled out in 2020, is a suite of AI-enabled tools that can scale up to meet different demands. The company says it has won more than $1.5 billion in AI-enabled work and that about 75% of its customers have implemented its AI-empowered platform.

The company began developing its AI capabilities about five years ago, and its offerings began to pick up speed after it won an $807 million contract in late 2020 to transform the General Services Administration’s IT infrastructure.

The new 19,000-square-foot facility will help support Empower AI’s work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the company said. Currently, the company supports programs for the federal agency that use robotic process automation and machine learning to review medical records and payment factors. It is also working to improve the agency’s monitoring, measuring and reporting of payments.

CEO Paul Dillahay said in a statement the Richmond-area facility, which is located at 8701 Park Central Drive in Robinson Development Group’s Park Central development, will provide more opportunities to “leverage” its AI technology for customers.

The company said the new facility includes a collaboration space for employees and a new data center with enhanced security features.

Founded in 1989, Empower AI has had a presence in the Richmond area for more than 20 years.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday was attended by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who said in a statement that “opportunity can truly flourish when innovation and growth are harnessed. Empower AI embodies that combination and executed on their vision, creating opportunity for their employees in Virginia."

Empower AI employs about 1,000 across its ranks, with about 300 of them based in Greater Washington. Along with its Richmond presence, it also has an office in Sierra Vista, Arizona.