Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) has built its AI empire inside the Pentagon, and now it's buckling up for its next frontier: the skies.
On June 18, Palantir acquired over one million shares of Surf Air Mobility Inc. (NYSE:SRFM), an electric aviation nano-cap, bringing its total stake to more than 4.4 million shares and establishing it as a 10%+ owner. The price? Just over $2 million. The impact? A 20% pop in SRFM's stock price within hours.
A Grounded Stock, A Sky-High Bet
Surf Air may be flying under most investors' radar (down 61% year to date), but its ambitions are bold: to reinvent regional air travel with AI software and electric propulsion.
It's building an AI-enabled SurfOS platform, aimed at charter brokers, operators, and aircraft owners. The system includes:
- BrokerOS – streamlining private flight bookings
- OperatorOS – optimizing aircraft management
- OwnerOS – helping plane owners maximize profitability
Behind it all? Palantir's Foundry and AIP software. This isn't just a stake – it's a full integration deal, embedding Palantir into the backend of a future-forward airline.
This Isn't Palantir's First Flight
The Surf Air move fits a larger Palantir pattern:
- It has partnered with Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR) to help develop software for air taxis.
- It powers Skywise, Airbus SE‘s (OTCPK: EADSY) fleet-wide analytics platform connecting over 10,500 aircraft.
- It supports Lilium NV's (OTCPK: LILMF) eVTOL operations, streaming terabytes of real-time jet data into predictive maintenance models.
Palantir's long game? Becoming the digital nervous system for tomorrow's aviation infrastructure.
SRFM Takes Off, PLTR Keeps Climbing
While Surf Air soared on the news, Palantir is already flying high:
- +86% year to date
- +480% over the past year
And this tiny bet — just $2.1 million for a double-digit stake — is classic Palantir: get in early, install Foundry, scale with AI, and ride the value creation.
Palantir is not just chasing government contracts—it's shaping the architecture of next-gen aviation. With Surf Air, it's buying more than stock—it's buying a seat at the table in the race to electrify and digitize the skies.
For investors, this nano-cap deal might just be a blip. But for Palantir, it looks like the runway to something much bigger.
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