Palantir sign £75 million deal with Britain's Defence Ministry to boost military's intelligence gathering capabilities
The Royal Navy already uses the company's technologies for planning and logistics
The US-based data analytics firm Palantir Technologies has signed a £75 million ($91 million) deal with the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) that will enable British armed services to employ artificial intelligence (AI) to boost their intelligence gathering capabilities.
Palantir said their technology will transform data into a 'strategic asset,' enhancing everything from maintenance and budgeting to military operations.
The company claims its software will inform military personnel of potential real-time actions and forecast the outcomes of different decisions.
Palantir markets its products as ways to more quickly determine which resources to deploy. The company says its software can gather intelligence from satellites and social media, display an army's locations, and flag an enemy vessel that is moving.
The Royal Navy already uses the company's technologies for planning and logistics.
During the pandemic, the navy reorganised its personnel using Palantir's Foundry system. The system was also used to aid the government's response.
Palantir says its software will allow the MOD to utilise data at scale and speed to make quicker, smarter choices throughout the ministry and armed forces.
'Building on more than a decade of partnership, the agreement will enable any part of UK Defence to gain access to Palantir software across multiple classifications, wherever and however it can help - turning the MOD's digital vision into reality at pace,' the company added.
The announcement reflects how US and European allies are turning to technology for a military advantage at a time when new tools have helped Ukraine to reverse Russia's advance on Kyiv.
With the use of AI technologies, military analysts can quickly pinpoint changes on the battlefield using a wealth of satellite footage.
Director Chief Data at Defence Digital Caroline Bellamy described Palantir products services as a "strategic partner in a complex Defence Data eco-system," assisting the Defence Department to become "a truly integrated digital enterprise, with data exploitation at the heart of a faster, better, and more integrated Defence. A Defence where real-time, interconnected data better informs decision making, our people are digitally connected and empowered, and step changes in digital capability have been made for our war fighters and across our business operations."
Guy Williams, Head of UK Defence & National Security, Palantir Technologies UK, said Palantir's deal will help speed up the UK Armed Forces' journey to become a truly integrated force.
"We're proud to expand our long-standing relationship with the MOD through our partnership with Defence Digital, and look forward to delivering world-leading software capabilities to enable greater operational outcomes," he added.
Palantir was founded in 2003 by prominent Donald Trump financier and PayPal investor Peter Thiel. The company helps organisations analysing large volumes of data from governments and other sources to gain valuable insights.
It is known for supporting the CIA's intelligence operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in recent years civil rights groups have criticised it for providing its software to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to track down illegal immigrants.
In 2020, the NHS hired Palantir to help with its Covid-19 response. The relationship, however, ran into legal issues, and the government ultimately backed down from expanding it.
Civil liberties groups, both in the UK and overseas, are concerned about Palantir's track record of secrecy and of providing its tools for government surveillance operations in the US and elsewhere.
According to Palantir, its collaboration with the NHS has helped save thousands of lives, and that the NHS strictly controls any access to data. Palantir says the company itself does not collect or sell any personal data.