Palantir lands $480M Army contract for Maven artificial intelligence tech

The Pentagon announced a deal for a Maven Smart System prototype.

May 29, 2024

A woman walks under a sign of big data analytics US software company Palantir at their stand ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on May 22, 2022. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

Palantir was awarded a $480 million deal by the Army for its Maven Smart System prototype, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

The U.S. military has recently been using this type of artificial intelligence technology in the Central Command area of responsibility in the Middle East, according to a February news release from the Kentucky National Guard.

“The MAVEN Smart System (MSS) by Palantir along with National Geospatial Agency (NGA) Broad Area Search – Targeting (BAS-T) uses AI generated algorithms and memory learning capabilities to scan and identify enemy systems in the Area of Responsibility (AOR). MAVEN fuses data from various Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR) systems to identify areas of interests,” according to the release.

“Positive target identification (PID) is at the forefront of the targeting process. The speed at which a hostile target can be detected is crucial to the remaining steps of the targeting cycle (Decide, Detect, Deliver, Assess). AI is able to assist by filtering specific user defined parameters, sifting through large amounts of data, extracting what is relevant, and providing analysts … with near-real time data that is used by the operations community for validation against the commander’s objective. Once confirmed, the information can be interfaced with existing Army Mission Command Systems like the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) to generate fire missions,” it added.

The Pentagon wants to use artificial intelligence tools like Maven to enable its Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) warfighting construct, which aims to better connect the platforms, sensors and data streams of the U.S. military and key international partners under a more unified network. Defense officials intend to leverage AI to help commanders and other personnel make faster and better decisions and improve operational effectiveness and efficiency.

The $480 million deal with Palantir’s USG subsidiary that was announced Wednesday is a firm-fixed price contract.

“One bid was solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 28, 2029,” according to the DOD announcement.

Palantir did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The company was recently awarded another AI-related deal by the Army for the next phase of the service’s Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) ground station program, which aims to provide soldiers with next-generation data fusion and deep-sensing capabilities via artificial intelligence and other tools. That other transaction agreement was worth $178 million.