Skywise: How Palantir makes Foundry Essential to Everyone
And how Skywise serves as the best example for creating perfect platforms in every industry
I could begin this article by saying how much Palantir is helping X and Y industries, and I have done this very thing before using Energy, Automotive and other examples, but now I want to focus on a single one: Skywise.
There’s one link I had in my notes, for quite some time, but I never gave it the attention that I did today. The link was palantir.airbushelicopters.com and, don’t get me wrong, I know we already knew Airbus is using Foundry in the form of Skywise, connecting datasets from more than 10,000 airplanes and allowing every airline to access it. So I didn’t bother with the helicopters part of the story, because it seemed little stuff. And many people will probably think that.
But if Foundry is designed to become an ecosystem to every industry, as we love to hear and say ourselves, it needs every actor in the play. It’s a lose it all or win it all situation, and if Palantir doesn’t get into every corner of every room in the aviation industry then it misses the whole point. A platform so powerful that it is capable of connecting any data point from any type of body. Because an aircraft isn’t only an airplane, it’s every vehicle that can fly.
Palantir is helping Airbus manufacture and manage their helicopters... So what? Well, it doesn't stop there, and as some know Airbus is expanding their use of Skywise beyond the aircraft business. They have developed a new platform on top of Skywise, but tailored for the military complex, under the name of SmartForce.
SmartForce is available to military customers, and its definition is basically what Palantir states for Foundry.
As a leader in digital transformation, Airbus enables military customers to unlock the power of big data analytics for improved operational readiness.
Airbus, on SmartForce
It’s not bad that Airbus is replicating what Palantir does, it’s literally good business for Foundry, it means more and more companies will want to access the platform, even those who for some reason may hate Palantir; they’ll want in even without knowing they are paying dollars to the company they hate. My guess is it may even attract more companies.
By the way, and as a fun fact but still related, Palantir owned an Airbus helicopter for some time, back in 2017. That is also around the time where the partnership was announced and Skywise was presented.
The main reason for this article is to use Skywise as an example - the best one in my mind - of what Foundry really is about. As Shyam Sankar said a while ago and
reminded recently, Palantir doesn't sell a product or a service, but outcomes. And the whole point of Foundry is not to sell to any one individual company, but to provide an industry with a comprehensive platform, to become the OS for every company in that specific field, as Palantir has promoted for some time.
I think everyone will agree Palantir is providing an essential infrastructure tool to everyone, but many will come and argue it doesn’t mean anything until it produces a meaningful stream of revenues. And that is true, but what is obvious is that the more entities that rely on Foundry, the more Palantir holds that weight on their shoulders, and the more strength they have in eventually saying “Hey, now pay us more”. And everyone will pay, because they’ll want to, and because they will be able to afford it with all the many millions of dollars they saved and earned by using their industry-wide platform built on top of Foundry. As the Forrester report states;
The key to surviving the future is holding the keys to access it, and Palantir not only has the keys but owns the land, built the walls, floor and roof of that house everyone so comfortably lives in.
I love Skywise and its ramifications. Great points and article Either!