The U.S. Army has selected Denver-based software developer Palantir to develop TITAN, the Tactical Information Target Access Node, the Army announced Wednesday. Palantir says the $175 million contract will allow it to develop advanced battlefield technology using artificial intelligence.
Co-founded by Peter Thiel in 2003, Palantir’s name is inspired by the crystal ball-like objects used for communication and intelligence gathering in The Lord of the Rings.
Over the next two years, Palantir said it will leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to process increasing battlefield data. The company promises to deliver 10 systems (half of which are designated as advanced systems) that will be integrated into tactical trucks.
“We’ve been talking for a while about how software is eating the world, and this is exactly what it showed here,” said Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar. CNBC. “We have vehicles that you wouldn’t traditionally associate with a software company. But we’re delivering AI-defined vehicles that provide deep sensing that enables long-range precision fires.”
according to defense newsPalantir has won a system construction contract from defense industry giant RTX (formerly Raytheon).
Sankar called TITAN a manifestation of how AI is changing the face of war and described it as a vehicle built around the soldier.
“TITAN enhances the automation of target recognition and geolocation across multiple sensors, shortens sensor-to-shooter (S2S) timelines through target designation, and fuses a common intelligence picture,” Palantir said in a statement. We aim to do so.”
Palantir said that once deployed, TITAN will leverage technology from companies such as Northrop Grumman, Anduril Industries, L3Harris Technologies, and Pacific Defense to operate in the air, land, sea, space, cyberspace, and beyond. It will be able to detect threats in a variety of areas.
“When we think about the capital that has been used here, the number of innovations and founders that are bringing new capabilities to bear with it. [Department of the Army] is very serious about enabling new entrants to transform the battlefield by delivering entirely new capabilities,” Sankar added.
Palantir did not respond immediately. Decryption Request for comments.
Military applications of artificial intelligence have advanced significantly since OpenAI’s GPT-4 announcement last year. While U.S. government officials warn against the use of generative AI in the workplace, military leaders and contractors are pushing for new use cases.
In December, the Israel Defense Forces announced an AI-powered targeting system dubbed “The Gospels” that has been in operation 24 hours a day since the October 7 Hamas attack. The IDF said the Gospel Targeting System supports various IDF intelligence units, including the Israeli Air Force, Navy, and the Southern Military Intelligence Center.
Last summer, San Diego-based Kratos Defense displayed its AI-enabled XQ-58A Valkyrie fighter jet, flying in formation with Air Force F-16s. This AI was designed in collaboration with Shield AI, who also designed small drones with his AI for exploration on the battlefield.
“The success of Nova is that you can press a button and explore that building, and then Nova can fly into that building, enter rooms, rotate 360 degrees, perceive its environment, and make decisions based on what it should do. ‘ and then continue exploring,” said Willie Logan, Shield AI Director of Engineering. Decryption at that time. “The overall goal is to [soldiers] They were able to get a ground-level insight into what was inside the building before they set foot inside the building themselves. ”
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
