China’s Palantir? Private tech firms surge into defence AI, aiming to match US giants
The People’s Liberation Army is just a year away from its centenary goals in its evolution into a “world-class” fighting force. In this part of a series, Amber Wang looks at the growing influence of artificial intelligence in combat and the private firms stepping into the area. Roughly two months before the United States launched air strikes on Iran, a little-known Chinese technology company was…
China's defence industry is rapidly expanding, with private technology firms increasingly entering the AI-driven combat sector, aiming to rival U.S. giants like Palantir. In the months leading up to the U.S. airstrikes on Iran, Chinese firm Jingan Technology had detected an unusual concentration of U.S. surveillance assets in the Middle East, suggesting preparations for a potential military operation.
Jingan's flagship product, Jingqi Global Situational Awareness System, has been marketed as a Chinese alternative to Palantir's systems. However, these claims are met with caution by industry observers. Jingan operates within China's public security, state security, and military branches. China's military-civil fusion strategy aims to integrate private companies into the defence industry, but challenges persist in fully integrating such technology into operational decision-making.
Hu Bo, director of South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, notes that while China's tech proficiency may close gaps with U.S. counterparts, the United States remains ahead in applying AI in decision-making. Palantir, founded in 2003, provides intelligence analysis to combat terrorist attacks and is now used by dozens of U.S. government agencies, including the Pentagon and NATO allies.
The Pentagon relies on Palantir's Maven Smart System for intelligence gathering, data synthesis, and faster decision-making. During the Iran conflict, the U.S. used Palantir's MSS to identify and strike over 1,000 targets, a tenfold increase compared to pre-deployment capabilities. Palantir's AI systems fuse satellite imagery, sensor feeds, intelligence reports, and operational data into a unified picture for faster target identification and command decisions.
China's leadership emphasizes the "intelligentisation" of the People's Liberation Army, but the extent of AI integration into command-and-control systems remains classified. Military analysts argue that future wars will be decided by the speed of data transformation into operational decisions, highlighting the urgency of accelerating military AI transformation.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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