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Glossary

Palantir & Enterprise AI Terminology​

Document Type: Reference
Version: 1.0
Date: February 2026

A​

Action (Ontology)​

A mutation operation defined on an Ontology object type. Actions encapsulate business logic for changing object state (e.g., "schedule_maintenance" on an Aircraft object). Actions maintain audit trails and can trigger workflows.

Agent (AI)​

An autonomous AI system that can plan, execute, and adapt to achieve goals. In the Palantir context, agents are built in AIP Agent Studio and operate within defined guardrails.

Agentic AI Hives​

Palantir's 2026 architecture for autonomous agent clusters that handle complex operational tasks (e.g., supply chain disruptions) without human intervention, within defined constraints.

AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform)​

Palantir's platform for integrating LLMs and other AI models into operational workflows. Components include AIP Logic, AIP Agent Studio, and AIP Evals.

AIP Bootcamp​

Palantir's go-to-market innovation: a 5-day intensive workshop where customers connect their data and build production AI use cases, dramatically compressing the sales cycle.

AIP Evals​

Palantir's evaluation framework for measuring AI model and agent performance in production. Enables systematic testing and improvement of AI outputs.

AIP Logic​

Palantir's tool for building AI-powered functions that can be called from workflows, applications, and other agents.

Apollo​

Palantir's continuous delivery and deployment platform. Enables deployment across cloud, on-premise, edge, and air-gapped environments.

ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue)​

Revenue that a company expects to receive annually from subscription or contract customers. Key SaaS metric.

B​

Bi-Temporal Data Model​

A data architecture that tracks two time dimensions: transaction time (when data was recorded) and valid time (when the fact was true in the real world). Essential for audit trails and regulatory compliance.

Bootcamp​

See AIP Bootcamp.

C​

CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)​

The total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing, sales, and onboarding expenses. Palantir's bootcamp model significantly reduces CAC.

Circuit Breaker​

A pattern that prevents cascading failures in distributed systems by temporarily blocking requests to a failing service. Essential for multi-agent architectures.

Compliance Gate​

A checkpoint in a workflow that validates regulatory requirements before allowing progression. Central to FDA, HIPAA, and SOC 2 workflows.

D​

Digital Twin​

A virtual representation of a real-world entity or system. Palantir's Ontology serves as a "digital twin of the organization" containing both data and operational logic.

DXA (Document Unit)​

A unit of measurement in document processing (1440 DXA = 1 inch). Used in document generation specifications.

E​

Edge Deployment​

Running software on devices at the "edge" of the network, close to data sources (e.g., IoT devices, manufacturing equipment, vehicles). Apollo enables edge deployment.

Electronic Signature​

A digital method of signing documents that complies with regulations like FDA 21 CFR Part 11. Must be linked to a unique user identifier and include timestamp.

F​

Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)​

Palantir's term for engineers who work directly with customers to implement and customize Palantir solutions. AI-FDE refers to AI agents that augment this role.

Foundry​

Palantir's commercial data operations platform. Integrates data from diverse sources, provides transformation capabilities, and hosts the Ontology for enterprise use cases.

Function (Ontology)​

A computed property or logic unit in the Ontology that can process objects and return results. Functions are used in applications, workflows, and AI integrations.

G​

Gotham​

Palantir's platform for defense and intelligence operations. Used by military, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement for analysis and mission planning.

Guardrail​

A constraint that limits what an AI agent can do. Types include regulatory guardrails (compliance rules), business guardrails (approval limits), and security guardrails (access controls).

GAMP 5​

Good Automated Manufacturing Practice, a pharmaceutical industry guide for validating computerized systems. Relevant to FDA-regulated software.

H​

Hash Chain​

A data structure where each record contains a cryptographic hash of the previous record, ensuring immutability and integrity. Used in audit trails.

HIPAA​

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. U.S. federal law requiring protection of patient health information (PHI).

I​

Interface (Ontology)​

An abstract type definition in the Ontology that describes the shape of multiple object types. Enables polymorphism (e.g., "Asset" interface implemented by Aircraft, Vehicle, Equipment).

L​

A relationship between two Ontology objects. Links have types (e.g., "patient_provider"), direction, and can carry properties. Essential for knowledge graph structure.

LLM (Large Language Model)​

An AI model trained on large text corpora that can generate, analyze, and transform text. Examples: Claude, GPT-4. Palantir's AIP orchestrates multiple LLMs.

Load-Bearing​

Alex Karp's metaphor for organizational capabilities that can withstand pressure/scrutiny. "AI pen tests what can bear the load"—meaning AI exposes which processes and people actually deliver value.

M​

Maven​

U.S. Department of Defense AI initiative that Palantir is deeply involved with. Represents cutting-edge military AI applications.

MCP (Model Context Protocol)​

A protocol for LLMs to interact with external tools and services. Enables AI agents to take actions in the real world.

N​

NRR (Net Revenue Retention)​

The percentage of recurring revenue retained from existing customers, including expansions and churn. NRR >100% indicates expansion exceeds churn.

O​

Object (Ontology)​

The fundamental entity in Palantir's Ontology. Objects represent real-world things (Aircraft, Patient, Transaction) with properties, links to other objects, and available actions.

Object Type​

The schema definition for a class of objects in the Ontology. Defines properties, links, actions, and security rules.

OMS (Ontology Metadata Service)​

Palantir's service that manages all Ontology definitions including object types, link types, action types, and interfaces.

Ontology​

Palantir's semantic layer that sits atop data and maps it to real-world business concepts. The Ontology contains objects, properties, links, actions, and functions. It serves as a "digital twin" of the organization.

Ontology SDK (OSDK)​

Palantir's software development kit for building applications that interact with the Ontology using business objects rather than raw data tables.

Operating Margin​

Revenue minus operating expenses, divided by revenue. Indicates profitability efficiency. Palantir's adjusted operating margin hit 57% in Q4 2025.

P​

PHI (Protected Health Information)​

Under HIPAA, any health information that can identify an individual. Requires strict access controls and audit logging.

Prompt Chaining​

A workflow pattern where the output of one LLM call becomes the input to the next. Used to break complex tasks into sequential steps.

Q​

Quiver​

Palantir's spreadsheet-like analytics tool for exploring Ontology data. Provides aggregations, visualizations, and exports.

R​

Rule of 40​

A SaaS health metric: Revenue Growth Rate + Profit Margin ≥ 40%. Palantir achieved "Rule of 127" (70% growth + 57% margin) in Q4 2025.

Routing (AI)​

Directing tasks to appropriate models or handlers based on characteristics. Palantir routes simple tasks to smaller models and complex/regulated tasks to larger models.

S​

Sovereign AI​

AI systems that operate within a nation's data sovereignty requirements, keeping data and processing within national boundaries. Increasingly important for government clients.

SBC (Stock-Based Compensation)​

Compensation paid in company equity. High SBC can mask true profitability; Palantir has reduced SBC as a percentage of revenue.

T​

TCV (Total Contract Value)​

The total value of a contract over its entire term, including all renewals and expansions.

Time-to-Value​

The elapsed time from initial engagement to demonstrable ROI. Palantir's bootcamp model compresses this to 5 days.

W​

Weighted Rule of 40​

A variant of the Rule of 40 that weights growth more heavily than margin, reflecting that high growth is more valuable in early-stage companies. Formula: 1.33 × Growth + 0.67 × Margin.

Workshop​

Palantir's low-code application builder for creating Ontology-powered applications using drag-and-drop widgets, variables, and actions.

Palantir-Specific Metrics​

Key Numbers (Q4 2025)​

MetricValueSignificance
Rule of 40 Score127%Industry-leading efficiency
YoY Revenue Growth70%Accelerating growth
U.S. Commercial Growth137%AIP adoption driver
Adjusted Op Margin57%Exceptional profitability
Customer Count711Across 90 industries

Alex Karp's "Favorite Numbers"​

As stated in Q4 2025 earnings call:

  • 127 — Rule of 40 score
  • 70 — YoY revenue growth percentage
  • 93 — U.S. commercial growth percentage

Regulatory References​

FDA 21 CFR Part 11​

Electronic records and electronic signatures regulation. Requirements include:

  • Unique user identification
  • Audit trails
  • Electronic signatures
  • System validation

HIPAA​

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Key provisions:

  • Privacy Rule (PHI protection)
  • Security Rule (technical safeguards)
  • Breach Notification Rule

SOC 2​

Service Organization Control 2. Trust service criteria:

  • Security
  • Availability
  • Processing Integrity
  • Confidentiality
  • Privacy

FedRAMP​

Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program. Cloud security authorization for federal agencies.

Acronym Quick Reference​

AcronymDefinition
AIPArtificial Intelligence Platform
ARRAnnual Recurring Revenue
CACCustomer Acquisition Cost
FDEForward Deployed Engineer
LLMLarge Language Model
NRRNet Revenue Retention
OMSOntology Metadata Service
OSDKOntology SDK
PHIProtected Health Information
SBCStock-Based Compensation
TCVTotal Contract Value

Glossary v1.0 — February 2026