US-based data analytics firm Palantir Technologies has won a $99.6 million contract with the US State Department.

The executive department of the US federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations will utilise Palantir’s tech to modernise data management for the Bureau of Medical Services (MED).

Palantir said that its software will be used by MED to establish a new enterprise data management platform for the department, titled Project Axiom. It added that the company will provide MED with a “new set of tools and capabilities to safeguard and promote the health and well-being of America's diplomatic community,” and that it would “enable Bureau and Department leadership to make rapid decisions that reduce risk to mission and safeguard and promote the health and well-being of America's diplomatic community.”

The contract builds on a Palantir pilot which dates back to 2021.

The US government has regularly given contracts to Palantir, but this occasion is particularly noteworthy as it is a move away from the Lord of the Rings-inspired tech company’s typical arena of military and intelligence work.

Reuters reports that the State Department has already paid Palantir $10 million as part of the purchase agreement, with the remaining value to be paid over the next five years.

Akash Jain, president, Palantir USG, said: "America's diplomatic workforce is one of the first lines of engagement between the U.S. and the rest of the world, and ensuring their safety and health is paramount to advancing international relations. We're honoured to bring Palantir's proven software to the State Department to better understand and proactively manage operations that help protect these individuals and their families abroad."

Palantir in February posted its first profitable quarter, with sales growing faster on government business versus private sector sales.

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