The US Department of Defense (DoD) has contracted big data analytics company Palantir Technologies for research and development (R&D) services on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
Their work has been ongoing since September 28, 2022, with regular funding coming in every few months, and is expected to be completed by September 28, 2023. Palantir earned his $42 million on his first contract for 2022, and another $10 million on December 14, 2022. The latest boost was his $60 million announced on March 31, 2023.
Data handling
in their Thematic Intelligence Report Artificial Intelligence (2023), GlobalData estimates that the entire AI market will be worth $383.3 billion in 2030, implying a compound annual growth rate of 21% between 2022 and 2030. According to GlobalData, over the next decade, the countries that lead in AI will lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this sector of the tech war between the United States and China, the former has imposed export controls on semiconductor components on the latter.
ML is the application of AI with the most practical benefits because it allows computer systems to learn and improve from data without explicit programming.
The report argues that “rapid growth in the amount of data has increased the demand for computing resources to analyze that data,” which can be attributed to command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, Reconnaissance (C4ISR) has to process huge amounts of data. AI and ML provide the means by which useful data can be processed or used without substantial delays. In a battlespace environment, this provides an excellent competitive edge for armies.
Integration of Palantir
The contracting agency for the most recent award of funding is the US Army Contract Command, located at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.It is this agency that is in charge of the Department of Defense Distributed common ground system forces (DCGS-A).
This system is the Army’s primary system for sensor intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks, posting data processing information, and using threat, weather, and terrain intelligence information.
As a processing hub for massive amounts of data, DCGS-A is the system that benefits most from the automated processing services that AI and ML can provide. Perhaps Palantir is researching AI application integration for the Army.
