Data Sovereignty Requirements in XR Start With Where the Data Lives


Defense and aerospace organizations operate under strict rules about where sensitive data is processed and stored. Pixel streaming is the only XR architecture that keeps all data inside your own infrastructure, by design, not by configuration.

See how Hololight keeps Data On-Premise

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EVENTS

Meet us at I/ITSEC 2026

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Meet us at I/ITSEC 2026

EVENTS

Meet us at I/ITSEC 2026

EVENTS

Meet us at I/ITSEC 2026

Trusted by Leading Defense and Industrial Organizations

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INDUSTRY CHALLENGE
The Compliance Problem Every Defense XR Program Eventually Hits

XR is moving into defense and aerospace maintenance, training, and engineering review at a meaningful pace. But most programs hit the same structural problem: AR and VR headsets are mobile, often shared across teams, and not designed to hold sensitive or classified data within a controlled perimeter.

For organizations operating under CMMC 2.0, the DoD's cybersecurity certification framework now being incorporated into active defense contracts, this creates a concrete compliance question. Where is the Controlled Unclassified Information being processed? Where does it reside? Who can access it, and from what device? Organizations subject to ITAR face the same set of questions with equally serious consequences for non-compliance.

Standard XR deployments push the application and its data to the headset, or route it through the device manufacturer's cloud infrastructure. Either way, the raw data leaves the organization's own environment. That is not a configuration problem that access controls can fully resolve; it is an architectural problem.

Addressing data sovereignty requirements in a cybersecurity-governed environment means the processing boundary has to be established before deployment, not patched afterward. The organizations that have solved this for XR did not do it through policy. They did it by choosing a different architecture from the start.
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See how Hololight keeps Data On-Premise

THE MECHANISM
Pixel Streaming Is the Architecture That Resolves This at the Source



Standard XR

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XR device receives the underlying data.

Data persists on the device after the session.

Maintaining security depends on device policy.

Models simplified to run on the headset.

XR pixel streaming

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XR device acts as a screen, only pixels reach the headset.

Nothing remains on the device after the session.

Maintaining security is architectural default.

Full model complexity, no data preparation.

Hololight does not stream content. It streams pixels. The distinction matters more than it might first appear. The application runs entirely on a server or workstation inside the organization's own infrastructure. What reaches the headset is an encrypted stream of image frames. Nothing else crosses the boundary. The headset acts as a display, and all processing stays inside the perimeter.

Because the application never runs on the headset, the raw data never reaches it. The 3D model, the classified assembly file, the digital twin: none of it crosses the network boundary. If a device is lost, shared without authorization, or connected outside the perimeter, the exposure is zero because there is nothing on it to expose. This is data sovereignty by architecture: the security posture is preserved because nothing ever has to leave the perimeter.

This is fundamentally different from approaches that push applications to the device and rely on encryption at rest or access controls to manage the resulting exposure. Controls can be misconfigured. Access policies can be bypassed. An architecture that keeps data off the device cannot be compromised at the device level, because there is nothing at the device level to compromise.

Hololight deploys fully on-premise, including in air-gapped environments with no public internet connection required. For organizations operating classified programs or working under strict network segmentation policies, on-premise deployment without any external cloud dependency is a hard requirement. Hololight is the only enterprise XR streaming platform that meets it while running on a fully proprietary streaming stack.

USE CASES 

Where Data Sovereignty Requirements Drive XR Decisions
in Defense and Aerospace

Reviewing Classified Engineering Data in XR Without Moving It Off-Site


Defense programs routinely work with export-controlled 3D models and classified assembly files that cannot be transferred to a mobile device or processed outside a controlled environment. With Hololight, engineers review those assets at full fidelity in XR, at 1:1 scale and full geometric complexity, without the model file ever leaving the organization's secure server. What reaches the headset is the rendered image. The source data stays exactly where it is required to stay.

Deploying XR Across Distributed Teams Without Distributing the Data


Large defense programs involve engineering and operations teams spread across multiple facilities, often operating under different classification levels or network restrictions. Hololight Hub, the platform's centralized orchestration layer, controls user access, device permissions, and application delivery from one management interface. The data stays in one location; every access event is logged, auditable, and governed by the same policies regardless of where the end user is located.

Supporting Field Technicians With XR When the Data Cannot Leave the Perimeter


Sustainment operations require field technicians to access complex technical information: maintenance procedures, component specifications, system diagnostics. With pixel streaming, that information streams from a secure on-premise server to the technician's headset as a real-time rendered image. The technician sees exactly what they need. The underlying data never crosses the perimeter. Hololight's XR pixel streaming technology is part of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' 5G Pixel Streaming Kit, a system that streams high-fidelity, real-time 3D visualization to edge devices for defense sustainment work.

REQUIREMENTS AND COMPLIANCE
How Pixel Streaming Supports Your Data Sovereignty Requirements in Practice

 

Demonstrating data sovereignty in a cybersecurity-governed environment means showing, not just asserting, that sensitive data is processed and stored within controlled boundaries.  Hololight's architecture addresses each of the structural requirements that defense and aerospace procurement and compliance teams evaluate during XR platform selection.

Requirement How Hololight Addresses It
Data must not be processed on a shared or mobile device The application runs on the organization's own server; the headset receives only rendered pixels
Data must not leave the organization's infrastructure No raw data is transmitted; only encrypted image frames reach the headset
Deployment must be fully on-premise Hololight deploys on-premise on the organization's own hardware, with no external cloud dependency. Cloud and hybrid deployment are supported where permitted.
Air-gapped environments must be supported Hololight operates in fully air-gapped networks with no public internet requirement, as a built-in capability of the architecture
User access must be centrally managed and auditable Hololight Hub provides centralized user management, access control, and session monitoring
Device fleet must be manageable at scale Hololight Hub supports multi-device deployment and oversight from a single management interface

PROOF
Proven Across Industries Where Data Cannot Leave the Building



Engie uses Hololight for Handover to Production in AR.
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The cooperation with Hololight is always constructive, friendly, and goal-oriented. My ideas are well received, and the team considers and implements them according to our individual requirements.

– Jörn Stiegelmeier, Head of Technology and Development, ENGIE Refrigeration

 

 

Felder AG Hololight Success Story

Felder_logo_scroller_whiteThis is only possible with the streaming technology by Hololight. The streaming technology is the key. If this wouldn't work perfectly, nobody would use it.

– Armin Brucic, Head of Software Development and Application Engineering, Felder Group

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Hololight works with defense and aerospace organizations across Europe and the United States. In the United States, Hololight's XR pixel streaming technology is part of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' 5G Pixel Streaming Kit, a system that streams high-fidelity, real-time 3D visualization to edge devices for defense sustainment work.

 

COMPARISON 
Why Architecture Matters More Than Access Controls

 


Not all XR deployments handle sensitive data the same way. The differences below are architectural.
They cannot be resolved through configuration or policy, because they reflect where the data goes and who controls that boundary.

 

Factor Hololight Pixel Streaming Standard On-Device XR Consumer XR Tools
Where is the data processed? On-premise server inside the organization's own infrastructure On the headset, or through the manufacturer's cloud On the user's PC or a third-party cloud service
Does raw data reach the headset? No. Only encrypted pixel frames are transmitted Yes Yes
On-premise deployment supported? Yes, including fully air-gapped environments Rarely; cloud dependency is typical No
Air-gapped operation? Yes No No
Centralized user and access management? Yes, via Hololight Hub Limited; per-device setup is standard No
Device agnosticism? Yes, all major AR and VR headsets are supported: Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, PICO 4 Ultra Enterprise, HTC VIVE Family, Snap Spectacles, Lenovo ThinkReality VRX, Microsoft HoloLens 2 (Maintenance Mode), plus iOS, Windows desktop and web browser clients Device-specific or limited PC VR only
Dependency on a third-party streaming engine? None. Hololight's stack is fully proprietary Varies by vendor Consumer platforms only
Enterprise support and integration services? Full commercial relationship, integration support, white-label option available Varies; typically self-service No enterprise support
OpenXR support? Yes, including fully air-gapped environments Rarely; cloud dependency is typical No
Air-gapped operation? Native. Designed to be conformant with OpenXR and expected to pass the Khronos Conformance Process. Varies Limited

 

WHY HOLOLIGHT
The Only XR Streaming Infrastructure Built for Organizations
Where Security Is Not Optional



stack

A Proprietary Stack With No External Dependencies

Hololight's pixel streaming technology is built and owned entirely in-house. There is no dependency on any third-party streaming engine. That matters for one specific reason: a platform that relies on someone else's infrastructure cannot unconditionally guarantee full on-premise or air-gapped deployment, because part of the decision is outside its control. Hololight's is not.

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Streaming Technology and the Platform to Manage It

Hololight Stream handles the pixel streaming layer. Hololight Hub handles deployment, user access, device management, and operational oversight from a single interface. No other enterprise XR streaming provider offers the complete stack. That completeness means organizations are building on infrastructure, not assembling one from parts.

devices

Every Major Headset. No Vendor Lock-In.

The same application streams to Apple Vision Pro, Meta Quest, PICO 4 Ultra Enterprise, HTC VIVE Family, Snap Spectacles, and Microsoft HoloLens 2, without modification, with iOS, Windows desktop and browser clients alongside them. Organizations are not bound to a single hardware vendor. When the device landscape changes, and it will, the platform continues to work without rearchitecting the deployment.

in_production

Proven in Production, Not in Pilots

Hololight's named customers include BMW, ENGIE Refrigeration, Genesis Design Studios, Bilfinger, and Felder Group. These organizations are not running experimental XR programs. They have integrated Hololight into the workflows they depend on every day. In defense, Hololight's streaming technology is part of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' 5G Pixel Streaming Kit.

partners

Strategic Partnerships, Full Infrastructure Independence

Hololight maintains strategic partnerships with NVIDIA, Snap, HTC, Qualcomm, Autodesk, Microsoft, Meta and PICO. Those partnerships inform product development and ensure device compatibility. They do not create dependency. Hololight's infrastructure decisions remain its own, which is the point.

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Built on the OpenXR Standard

Hololight natively supports OpenXR across all major applications and headsets. OpenXR is the royalty-free, multi-vendor runtime standard governed by the Khronos Group. It is the right foundation for any XR infrastructure intended to outlast the current device generation. Hololight's streaming technology is designed to be conformant with OpenXR. The technology is based on a published Khronos Specification and is expected to pass the Khronos Conformance Process.

FAQ

Common Questions About Data Sovereignty in XR Deployments

CONTACT US 

Your Data Stays in Your Infrastructure. Let Us Show You How.

 

Defense and aerospace organizations cannot discover a data sovereignty gap after an XR program is already in production. The architectural decision, where data lives, where it is processed, and who controls those boundaries, has to be made before the first headset is deployed.

Hololight is built for organizations where security is a baseline requirement, not a feature. Every engagement starts with a genuine understanding of the customer's infrastructure, compliance environment, and operational constraints. That is not a positioning statement; it is how the product is implemented.