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Meta-Backed Scale AI Secures USD500M Pentagon Deal
(MENAFN) The US Defense Department has awarded a $500 million contract to Meta-backed Scale AI to process massive datasets and bolster military decision-making, as Washington accelerates its integration of artificial intelligence into national defense operations, media reported Wednesday.
The newly secured agreement marks a fivefold surge from the $100 million deal Scale AI had previously landed from the Pentagon in September 2025, signaling a dramatic escalation in the military's confidence in the company's capabilities.
Dan Tadross, who oversees Scale AI's public sector division, revealed that demand had already begun outpacing the original contract's scope, noting that the Pentagon had been "pushing the limits" of the initial agreement.
"I think this contract is just generally proof that the (Defense) Department is eager to adopt this technology," Tadross said.
The San Francisco-based firm is also embedded in the Defense Innovation Unit's Thunderforge initiative — a program designed to weave AI into the fabric of military strategy and battlefield operations — and plays a role in President Donald Trump's Golden Dome homeland defense architecture. Meta cemented its position in the company last year after acquiring a 49% stake.
The contract, executed through the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, stands among the Pentagon's most significant AI-related financial commitments to date. It falls squarely in line with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's strategy, first outlined in a January policy memo, calling for sweeping AI adoption and the dismantling of what he characterized as bureaucratic bottlenecks slowing implementation.
The Scale AI deal was not an isolated move. Earlier this month, the Pentagon separately finalized contracts with Nvidia Corp., Microsoft Corp., Reflection AI and Amazon Web Services to extend the reach of cutting-edge AI technologies across classified military networks — a coordinated effort to position the US Armed Forces at the frontier of AI-driven warfare.
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