Microsoft and Palantir Technologies are teaming up to provide cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and analytics capabilities to the US Defense and Intelligence Community.
The defense and intelligence units in the US will be able to access Microsoft's large language models (LLMs) via Azure OpenAI Service within Palantir's AI Platforms within Microsoft's government and classified cloud environments.
Palantir is set to deploy its suite of products - Foundry, Gotham, Apollo, and AIP - in Microsoft Azure Government and in the Azure Government Secret (DoD Impact Level 6) and Top Secret clouds.
The company will also adopt Azure's OpenAI Service in Microsoft's Secret and Top Secret environments.
Defense and intelligence clients will be able to develop AI-driven operational workloads, including use cases such as logistics, contracting, prioritization, and action planning.
“Bringing Palantir and Microsoft capabilities to our national security apparatus is a step change in how we can support the defense and intelligence communities,” said Shyam Sankar, CTO of Palantir. “Palantir AIP has pioneered the approach to operationalizing AI value - beyond chat - across the enterprise. It’s our mission to deliver this software advantage and we’re thrilled to be the first industry partner to deploy Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service in classified environments.”
Deb Cupp, president of Microsoft Americas, added: “This expanded partnership between Microsoft and Palantir will help accelerate the safe, secure, and responsible deployment of advanced AI capabilities for the US government."
Palantir was launched in 2003 by Peter Thiel, and builds software to help organizations create and run artificial intelligence across private and public networks. An early investor of the company was the CIA through its venture capital branch, In-Q-Tel.
Documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden suggested that Palantir played a role in creating the US government's international spy program, PRISM. Palantir denies any connection.
Earlier this year, Palantir agreed to a 'strategic partnership' with the Israel Defense Ministry to supply technology to support the war in Gaza. As of July 25, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza had exceeded 39,000. In the UK, NHS and healthcare workers blockaded the entrance of NHS England's headquarters on April 3, demanding that the service end ties with Palantir, calling it a 'genocide enabler.' The company holds several large contracts with the UK health service.
Palantir teamed up with Oracle in April 2024 on secure cloud and AI solutions aimed at governments and businesses globally.
The company was awarded an $800m contract to deliver a comprehensive combat intelligence hardware and software suite for the US Army in 2019.
