The U.S. Army has awarded Palantir Technologies a $480 million contract to begin the prototyping phase for an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tool for battlefield analysis, the Defense Department (DoD) announced on Wednesday.
The “Maven Smart System” project aims to use AI and machine learning to make systems more efficient across military operations. Specifically, the AI system plans to fuse various data sources – satellite imagery, geolocation data, and communications intercepts – into a unified interface for battlefield analysis.
The five-year contract will allow the DoD to expand its use to thousands of users at five combatant commands: U.S. Central Command, European Command, Indo-Pacific Command, Northern Command, and Transportation Command.
Once developed, the Maven system could be integrated into the U.S. military’s Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control to help commanders make faster and better decisions.
The Maven Smart System is part of Project Maven, which the DoD established in 2017 to speed the integration of big data and machine learning technologies in the U.S. military inventory. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency was given operational control of Project Maven in 2022.
Maven has already been fielded in multiple locations around the globe by the U.S. armed forces, and it has shown encouraging results. For example, the Kentucky National Guard used Maven to identify areas of interest by fusing data from intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.
“The MAVEN Smart System by Palantir along with National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency … uses AI-generated algorithms and memory learning capabilities to scan and identify enemy systems in the Area of Responsibility,” according to a February release. “Positive target identification is at the forefront of the targeting process … AI can 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.”
Palantir Technologies is the sole bidder for the contract solicited online. The Army Contracting Command serves as the contracting activity.
Palantir is expected to complete contract work by May 28, 2029.
