Vice Admiral Thomas Daum, the Inspector of Cyberspace, currently rules out using Palantir for ongoing operations. Speaking to the “Handelsblatt” (Wednesday edition), Daum stated that he currently does not see Palantir as a fit, explaining that the company does not meet certain German Armed Forces requirements. According to Daum, while the Bundeswehr is highly interested in the functionality for its internal data reserves, allowing private industry employees such access to the national data system is currently deemed unfeasible.
Palantir expressed disappointment in response to the inquiry. A company spokesperson noted that their clients can install and utilize Palantir software without requiring the presence of their employees on site.
Meanwhile, information from the “Handelsblatt” reveals that the Bundeswehr has selected three vendors for its project: two German companies-Almato from Stuttgart, a subsidiary of the German IT provider Datagroup, and the software from the Berlin startup Orcrist-along with Chapsvision from Paris, which is sometimes referred to as the French alternative to Palantir. Their software is scheduled for testing this summer, with the goal of awarding a contract by the end of the year.
This is described as a central project for the Bundeswehr: the military intends to build its own secure, private cloud over the coming years. This cloud will be used for advanced data processing and AI applications. A critical component of this infrastructure is software capable of consolidating information sourced from various disparate databases.