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), a struggling 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.
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:
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.
The Surf Air move fits a larger Palantir pattern:
Palantir's long game? Becoming the digital nervous system for tomorrow's aviation infrastructure.
While Surf Air soared on the news, Palantir is already flying high:
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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