Meta joins Anduril to build XR products for US armed forces

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta has collaborated with Palmer Luckey-owned defence tech company Anduril Industries to roll out a range of integrated extended reality (XR) products for the US military.

The project has been funded through private capital without taxpayer support, Anduril said in a statement Thursday. It will utilise high-performance components and technology originally built for commercial use to save costs for the armed forces, it added.

“Meta has spent the last decade building artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to enable the computing platform of the future. We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad,” said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Meta.



Meta will integrate its augmented and virtual reality capabilities with Anduril's Lattice platform, an artificial intelligence-powered command and control system. It gathers data from many sources to give real-time information on the battlefield.

By using AR/VR interfaces, soldiers will have easy access to Lattice's data, to help them see, sense, and integrate battlefield information, providing immersive technology solutions that enhance tactical decision-making in combat scenarios, Anduril said.

This partnership allows Meta to expand its support for the US government's use of its technology. It builds on Meta's Reality Labs investments and its Llama open source AI models for national security.

Anduril and Meta have already submitted a joint proposal for Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) Next, which is an initiative to develop a digital awareness for US soldiers.