Two major defense technology players, Palantir and Anduril, are SpaceX; OpenAI Tech companies including Saronic and Scale AI are reportedly in talks to form a consortium to bid on Pentagon contracts. A report from the Financial Times.
FT's target is Lockheed Martin; It was to challenge the dominance of “prime” defense contractors like Raytheon and Boeing. One participant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described it as an attempt to “give defense contractors a new generation,” while another said it was a more effective way to sell the government the latest weapons and other technology.
Initial collaborations could be announced in January, the report said.
Palantir and Anduril (named after magical objects in JRR Tolkien's “Lord of the Rings”) both hinted that something like this was in the works earlier this month. Declaration of Incorporation Between Palantir's AI Platform and Anduril's Lattice software. At that time, The companies say “the U.S. government is launching a new consortium to lead the world in artificial intelligence.”