Aimino and asvin boost AI security in KI-FOGGER
16.07.2025
Kamelia Maleschlijski
News
Aimino Tech and asvin from our community are part of the €2 million BMFTR research project “KI-FOGGER”.
KI-FOGGER research project
Securing industrial AI against the theft of data and intellectual property
Two start-ups from our community – Aimino Tech from Karlsruhe and asvin from Stuttgart – are part of the “KI-FOGGER” research project, funded with over 2 million euros, which deals with the protection of artificial intelligence. AI is playing an increasingly important role in the competitiveness of German mechanical and plant engineering. Many companies want to exploit the potential of this technology, but are faced with the challenge of protecting their know-how in AI models from theft by competitors or other countries.
(Image source: Adobe Stock/Shomixer, generated with AI)
Goals and approach
The “KI-FOGGER” project, funded by the BMFTR, aims to secure AI models so that they only function correctly with a special release. To achieve this, the team is specifically using methods that were originally developed for attacks on AI – for example, inserting false data (data poisoning) or installing secret access points (backdoors). Without appropriate authorization, the models only deliver distorted, unusable results. In this way, the knowledge contained in the model remains protected. The methods are then tested in real application scenarios in industry.
Innovations and prospects
The approach is novel: security is built directly into the model so that sensitive information remains protected even if the model itself is lost. This strengthens the technological independence of German companies and enables the secure and responsible use of AI. The project thus makes an important contribution to digital sovereignty.
Profile:
Network coordinator: Aimino Tech GmbH, Karlsruhe
Partners:
– KMPC Innovations GmbH, Talheim
– German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH, Kaiserslautern
– Asvin GmbH, Stuttgart
– Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, Stuttgart
– TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen SE + Co. KG, Ditzingen
Project volume: €3.16 million
BMFTR funding: €2.15 million
Duration: 06/2025 – 05/2028
For more information, please click here: KI-FOGGER.
