The U.S. Department of Defense has taken a major step toward modernizing its military planning capabilities by awarding a contract to Silicon Valley startup Scale AI. The deal, announced Wednesday, will bring artificial intelligence “agents” into military workflows to speed up decision-making for commanders.
The project, named Thunderforge, aims to replace what officials describe as “decades-old technology and methodologies” currently used in military planning.Â
Scale AI will develop the system using Microsoft’s large language models to create AI tools that can help with analyzing situations and planning operations.
“Thunderforge brings AI-powered analysis and automation to operational strategic planning, allowing decision-makers to operate at the pace required for emerging conflicts,” said Bryce Goodman, who leads the Thunderforge program at the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Pentagon office that awarded the contract.
Scale AI and Anduril Partner on Pentagon’s Thunderforge AI System
Military leaders have increasingly expressed concern about the gap between the speed of modern warfare and the Pentagon’s ability to respond quickly.Â
Thunderforge represents an effort to close that gap by using AI to process information and suggest options faster than current methods allow.
The program will initially be deployed with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. European Command, focusing on planning, campaign development, resource allocation, and assessments. After testing in these regions, the Pentagon plans to expand the system across all combatant commands.
Scale AI’s technology will also be integrated with weapons manufacturer Anduril’s simulation infrastructure to assist with mission planning. This partnership highlights the Pentagon’s strategy of combining capabilities from different tech companies to build more comprehensive AI systems.
“Our AI solutions will transform today’s military operating process and modernize American defense,” said Alexander Wang, founder and CEO of Scale AI. “Working together with DIU, Combatant Commands, and our industry partners, we will lead the Joint Force in integrating AI into operational decision-making.”
Pentagon Accelerates AI Integration into Military Systems
The agreement is part of a series of Pentagon efforts to integrate artificial intelligence into all military systems. Defense officials have been especially interested in applying AI to sort through and respond to vast quantities of data, as well as to defend against new threats such as drone attacks.
Even with such advancements, the defense industry itself is cited to have major problems in effectively introducing new technologies. Translating promising AI functionality into effective operating tools takes months of testing and fine-tuning, particularly in the case of mission-critical military uses.
The Pentagon would not release the cost data on the contract or give any timelines for deployment other than initial testing with the Indo-Pacific and European commands.
This agreement is one of growing international competition in military AI capabilities, with Russia and China also heavily investing in such capabilities. Military leaders have consistently emphasized the need to remain ahead of the U.S. in this fast-developing field.Â
