a16z launches SAIF, a $25M nonprofit to bring AI cyber defense to 1,800 rural hospitals
a16z · x · 2026-10-15
a16z announced the Securing America's Infrastructure Foundation (SAIF), a nonprofit led by former White House deputy national security advisor for cyber Anne Neuberger, with $25 million in committed funding to provide free AI-powered cyber defense to small cities, school districts, and rural hospitals.
Key points:
- America's 1,800 rural hospitals lack the skills, people, and money to withstand ransomware and other attacks; the economics of cybersecurity was broken before AI
- AI can economically find vulnerabilities, triage real threats, and block attacks, fundamentally changing attacker-defender cost asymmetry
- Three tracks: an open-source AI harness to detect and block attacks; patching IoT medical devices like internet-connected MRI machines; NYC/NYS-style security operations centers shared across smaller communities
A full podcast conversation with Neuberger, Jai Ramaswamy, and Stephen Goldsmith accompanies the announcement.
Related event: a16z Backs Ex-White House Cyber Official's Nonprofit SAIF with $25 Million(2 posts)→
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