McCarthy Building Companies Inc., one of America’s oldest privately held national construction companies, has entered into a multi-year, multi-million-dollar strategic partnership with Palantir Technologies Inc. to expand the use of artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making across its operations.
Under the agreement, McCarthy will use Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) to develop a connected AI operating system that incorporates more than 160 years of construction expertise into the workflows of its teams, from project design through field execution. The McCarthy and Palantir partnership is intended to bring AI-driven capabilities directly into daily operations and support decision-making throughout the construction process.
Speaking about the collaboration, Justin McFarland, Chief Digital Officer, McCarthy Holdings, Inc., said: “We’re incredibly excited about our partnership with Palantir and believe we’ve invested in the premier platform on the market. Beyond the ontology and technology itself, Palantir brings exceptional engineering talent and strategic thought leadership that has accelerated our ability to transform complex operational concepts into scalable solutions faster than we thought possible.”
A major component of the initiative is McCarthy’s AI Operations Suite, known as Pulse. The AI-native system has been developed to provide field teams with real-time insights, scenario planning, risk analysis and decision orchestration. Built on AIP and supported by Palantir’s Ontology, Pulse combines McCarthy’s construction expertise with operational workflows to help superintendents, project managers and field operators assess options, anticipate potential constraints and make decisions more quickly on active job sites.
Dave Evans, McCarthy Senior Superintendent, highlighted the operational benefits of the system, stating: “As a superintendent, this partnership allows me to focus on what matters most for our clients and project teams, rather than getting buried in emails, documents and data. By cutting through the noise and identifying what is most critical, I can devote more attention to delivering exceptional results for our stakeholders.”
The collaboration will support numerous functions across McCarthy’s business, including field execution, estimating, contracts, bidding and buyout, QA/QC, logistics and equipment planning. Through the use of a common Ontology, the company aims to connect critical workflows so that insights generated in one area can create value across the broader organization. McCarthy is also restructuring its internal technology organization around embedded engineers while developing enterprise-grade software through its in-house applications team.
Commenting on the partnership, Tristan Gruska, Palantir’s Head of Energy and Infrastructure, said: “McCarthy has built a reputation not only as one of the most respected names in construction, but as one of the most technologically ambitious. What makes this partnership so powerful is that McCarthy is not treating AI as a point solution, they are building an operating system for the way construction actually works, from design through site execution. With AIP in the hands of their frontline teams, we are seeing what is possible when a world-class builder uses AI to amplify its people and its tradecraft, and the results will help set the pace for the entire sector.”
The McCarthy and Palantir collaboration reflects the commitment of both companies to advance digital transformation in construction while helping address industry challenges such as labor shortages and increasing operational complexity.