TLDR
- Alphabet (GOOGL) closed at $279.84 on Friday, down 1.4%, with pre-market quotes later showing $283.51.
- Google is in early talks with the Pentagon to help secure data for the $185 billion Golden Dome program, Bloomberg reported.
- The Pentagon is forming an industry group to protect data feeding Golden Dome’s command and control software.
- Aalyria Technologies, a Google spin-off, is part of the group, and no final decision has been made on members.
- A role would be Google’s first publicly known work on Golden Dome.
Alphabet (GOOGL) stock closed at $279.84 on Friday, down $3.98 or 1.4%. Pre-market quotes later showed $283.51, up about 1.3%.
Bloomberg reported that Google is in talks with the Department of Defense. The talks involve a data security effort inside the $185 billion Golden Dome missile defense program.
Golden Dome is President Donald Trump’s plan to shield the U.S. from foreign attack with layers of defenses. They would run from the ground to space.
A role would be Google’s first publicly known work on the program. People familiar with the matter spoke to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity because the talks are not public.
What the Talks Cover
The Pentagon is setting up an industry group to protect the data that feeds Golden Dome’s military software. Several companies are likely to join.
The talks with Google focus on its data storage, networking and cybersecurity work. The goal is to keep data flowing if adversaries cut off landlines, cell towers or other links.
The discussions are at an early stage, and plans could change. Aalyria Technologies, a networking company spun out of Google, is part of the group.
A Pentagon official told Bloomberg the office may explore early concepts. No final decision has been made on the group or its members.
Google and Aalyria declined to comment to Bloomberg. TNW said it has not independently verified the report.
A separate group that includes Anduril, Palantir and SpaceX is building the command and control software. The new effort would plug into that framework.
That software aims to unify military hardware, radar networks and weapons platforms across the armed forces. These systems were once isolated from each other.
SpaceX won a $2.29 billion Space Force contract in May for the Golden Dome backbone. In March, Gen. Michael Guetlein, who runs the program, said the Pentagon had added $10 billion to the cost.
Google’s History With the Pentagon
In 2018, thousands of Google employees protested Project Maven, a Pentagon AI contract. Google did not renew it.
Since then, Alphabet has built out dedicated government units. In April, it signed a deal to use its AI models in classified defense work.
Google DeepMind’s UK staff then voted to unionise, with 98% in favor.
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