France and Germany have committed to developing a European competitor to Palantir's military artificial intelligence software.

      France and Germany have agreed to create a European alternative to Palantir's military AI software. A joint declaration signed following discussions between Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz commits both nations to explore "a European sovereign digital backbone" that focuses on data security, AI, and cloud solutions. The French Arcadia platform, an AI-driven command-and-control system, will serve as the initial model, alongside unspecified comparable solutions from Germany.

      This declaration follows both countries' decision to transition away from Palantir for their intelligence services. France's DGSI announced in June that it would replace Palantir with ChapsVision's ArgonOS, just six months after renewing its contract with the American company. Similarly, Germany's BfV selected ChapsVision for the same function, while the Bundeswehr has entirely excluded Palantir from its defense cloud procurement. A senior NATO commander had recently mentioned to Politico that there was no true European alternative to Palantir's Maven software, used by the alliance for processing battlefield data. The recent declaration from Paris and Berlin aims to address this gap by developing such an alternative.

      The joint statement also addresses areas such as missiles, tanks, and space. France, Germany, and the UK will explore collaboration on long-range weapons with a range of 2,500 kilometers, utilizing capabilities from ArianeGroup. The Franco-German MGCS tank program, which aims to replace the Leopard 2 and Leclerc, will initiate a research program focused on autonomous driving, sensors, and battlefield connectivity. Notably, the FCAS next-generation fighter jet was absent from this declaration. Instead, both countries agreed to establish a "European collaborative combat standard" to enable communication between fighter jets and drones from different nations in operational settings.

      Palantir's CEO, Alex Karp, referred to Germany's hesitation to consider his company as "conversations about witchcraft" in a recent interview with Bild, asserting that their software has been proven in serious combat scenarios. However, this perspective has not influenced Berlin's stance. The critical question of sovereignty is not about the efficacy of Palantir's technology—since it is effective—but rather whether Europe’s most sensitive military infrastructure should rely on a U.S. company at a time of uncertain transatlantic relations. France and Germany have articulated this concern in a joint declaration, and the challenge now is whether they can transform this vision into functional software.