NATO has established a significant agreement with Palantir Technologies, aimed at implementing a new artificial intelligence platform that will fundamentally change military operations by reducing the manpower needed to process battlefield data, according to Financial Times.
This deal has emerged as one of the fastest in NATO's history, taking only six months to finalize. The urgency was driven by NATO's desire to enhance its technological capabilities in response to increasing threats from China and shifts in U.S. policy regarding European security during Donald Trump’s presidency.
The AI-based system, based on Palantir's Project Maven, enables a small group of soldiers to process vast amounts of intelligence data from the battlefield—a task that previously required hundreds of analysts in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan. The software incorporates generative AI, large language models, and machine learning to provide commanders with real-time operational insights, improve decision-making processes, and automate threat detection.
"This type of battlefield management system can replace entire teams performing rather mundane tasks," says Noah Silvia, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London. "The fact that it was procured in six months is insane by defense standards."
The MSS NATO will support ongoing operations and is expected to be fully operational within 30 days. NATO emphasized that this agreement demonstrates a "strong and resilient partnership between the North American and European technological bases." The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, although it is likely one of Palantir's most significant defense contracts this year.
Palantir, co-founded by tech billionaire and Trump ally Peter Thiel, has received over $2.7 billion in government contracts from the U.S. since 2009, including over $1.3 billion from the Department of Defense. In the past year, the company's stock has skyrocketed by more than 300%, driven by expectations for broader adoption of its AI platforms by government and commercial entities.
The U.S. military is already using a version of Palantir's Maven technology, extended by a contract worth $99.8 million signed last September. A similar version of the system has been deployed in Ukraine to assist with real-time battlefield intelligence.
The Maven project was initiated in 2017 using Google’s AI technology, but in 2018, the company withdrew from the project after internal employee protests regarding the use of AI in warfare.
The special version of Palantir for NATO includes a modular platform for integrating other software tools and data sources to enhance "intelligence fusion, target acquisition, situational awareness, operational planning, and decision-making," as stated by the Alliance.
While some NATO members, like France, have developed national AI systems such as Artemis, experts say these tools remain alternatives rather than direct competitors to Palantir's Maven system.