Anduril Raises $2.5B Amid Partnership With Meta For A U.S. Army AR/VR Project

Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are changing how businesses, government organizations, and even entire countries function.

From smart homes/offices to smart cities, from AI chatbots for customer service to AI algorithms for government efficiency, from automating factory floors to automating defense operations, the age of digital transformation is reshaping even the oldest processes.

This is where tech-savvy Anduril Industries comes in.

This defense technology company comes with the mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology, which includes autonomous weapons, drones, and systems, particularly those using AI and robotics, as well as the software to control them.

To help it power through on this mission, the company recently revealed it raised $2.5 billion in a Series G funding round that took its valuation to $30.5 billion.

The valuation this founding round brought about is more than double what it achieved in its previous one, where it was valued at $14 billion, having raised $1.5 billion.

The round was led by Founders Fund—which invested $1 billion—and witnessed interest from existing investors as well. Founders Fund has been an investor in Anduril since its inception in 2017. One of Founders Fund’s general partners—Trae Stephens—is also a co-founder and executive chairman of Anduril.

The company was in so much demand that the round was more than 8x times oversubscribed (investors wanted to buy more stock than Anduril was selling).

The funding comes amid a new partnership between Anduril and social media giant and AI model maker Meta.

Interestingly, the two companies have a connection that predates the establishment of Anduril.

Anduril Founder Palmer Luckey also founded Oculus VR (and designed the Oculus Rift VR headset), which was acquired by Facebook (renamed Meta) in March 2014. Luckey left Oculus in 2017 to create Anduril.


“I am glad to be working with Meta once again,” said Palmer Luckey, Founder of Anduril. “Of all the areas where dual-use technology can make a difference for America, this is the one I am most excited about. My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that.”

The collaboration will see the two companies design, develop, and deploy diverse integrated XR (eXtended Reality) products—spanning augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)—that offer fighters enhanced perception and enable intuitive control of autonomous platforms on the battlefield.

These joint mixed reality capabilities will integrate seamlessly with Anduril's AI-powered command and control system (Lattice), which provides real-time battlefield intelligence. Furthermore, it will “transform how warfighters see, sense, and integrate battlefield information, providing immersive technology solutions that enhance tactical decision-making in combat scenarios.”

For Meta, the partnership marks a major step in helping the U.S. government adopt its advanced technology.

“Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Meta. “We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.”

The innovations and capabilities coming out of the partnership—incuding EagleEye—will be powered by the insights and investments of both companies in advanced hardware, software, and artificial intelligence, drawing from their experience of over a decade.

“The world is entering a new era of computing that will give people access to limitless intelligence and extend their senses and perception in ways that have never been possible before,” said Andrew Bosworth, CTO of Meta. “Our national security benefits enormously from American industry bringing these technologies to life.”

The move is backed by private funds and will be carried out without taxpayer support, bringing the U.S. military high-performance components and technology originally built for commercial use while saving billions of dollars.

Is the Anduril-Meta alliance a glimpse into the future of AI-powered warfare? Do you think it will inspire the militaries of other countries to make similar advanced technology deals?

Let us know in the comments below!