**Palantir Shares Surge on Microsoft AI Partnership**

Shares of intelligence firm Palantir jumped 11% on August 8 following the announcement of a new partnership with Microsoft. The collaboration aims to deliver AI services and analytics to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

Palantir will integrate its key data platforms—Foundry, Gotham, Apollo, and AIP—with Microsoft's secure cloud technology, targeting both secret and top-secret environments. The company will also be an early adopter of Azure’s OpenAI Service.

Palantir's Chief Technology Officer, Shyam Sankar, emphasized the partnership's potential to revolutionize support for national security. The firm recently reported strong Q2 earnings and raised its annual revenue forecast to $2.75 billion, reflecting growing demand for AI-driven data services.

Palantir shares have soared 72% year-to-date, currently trading at $29.28. The company, co-founded by Peter Thiel in 2003, initially focused on U.S. defense and intelligence but has since expanded to civilian clients like Morgan Stanley and Airbus.

In 2021, Palantir began accepting Bitcoin payments, though it has not yet added BTC to its balance sheet.