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Securing Sovereign AI: Why FedRAMP ‘High’ Matters for the Future of Government AI

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By David Epperson | minute read | May 15, 2025

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As someone who has spent a career working at the intersection of technology and government—first as a Federal CIO and CISO, now as the CISO at H2O.ai—I’ve seen firsthand the tension between innovation and security in the public sector. Today, I’m proud to share that H2O.ai has achieved FedRAMP® “In Process” status at the High Impact Level for our H2O AI Cloud platform.

This isn’t just a compliance checkbox—it’s a signal of our deep commitment to enabling secure, sovereign AI for federal agencies.

 

Why FedRAMP High Matters

In the federal space, security is foundational. Agencies are entrusted with some of the most sensitive data in the country—personally identifiable information, law enforcement records, public health data, and national security intelligence. The FedRAMP High baseline is designed specifically for these high-value assets, where a breach could have catastrophic consequences.

Achieving “In Process” status at the High level means that we are actively undergoing rigorous scrutiny by a federal agency sponsor, and it positions us to support mission-critical workloads for defense, intelligence, and civilian agencies alike.

 

The Future of AI in Government Must Be Secure and Accountable

From my experience in the federal CIO community, I know there’s no shortage of interest in AI—but there’s been a lack of solutions that are both cutting-edge and government-grade. That’s changing.

At H2O.ai, we’re building a platform that federal teams can trust. Our open-source foundation, explainability-by-design, and model transparency mean that agency users can deploy generative, predictive, and agentic AI systems that are not only powerful, but also auditable and ethical.

With the rise of sovereign AI—AI that is controlled, owned, and secured by the organization using it—trust and autonomy are more important than ever. H2O.ai’s path to FedRAMP High is a critical step in giving agencies that trust.

 

A Platform Designed for Mission Success

The H2O AI Cloud enables secure, scalable development and deployment of AI models for a wide range of government use cases:

  • Fraud detection and improper payments
  • Cybersecurity threat prediction
  • Logistics and resource planning
  • Generative AI for citizen services
  • Scientific research and analytics
  • Agentic use cases to save time and resources

And because our platform integrates natively with FedRAMP-authorized cloud infrastructure (like AWS GovCloud), agencies can accelerate adoption without compromising compliance.

 

Looking Ahead

Reaching this milestone is just the beginning. As we move through the authorization process, our team remains laser-focused on security, transparency, and value for the taxpayer. We believe the federal government deserves AI that is as secure as it is smart—and we’re here to deliver exactly that.

If you're a federal IT leader exploring AI, I invite you to connect with our team. We’re here to help you build the future—securely.

 

Learn more about our FedRAMP status and secure AI platform at https://www.h2o.ai

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David Epperson, Vice President, Public Sector and National Security