Palantir, Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Steinhoff - The scenario of the future

Palantir - Puzzle piece in modern warfare

The war in Ukraine rages on, sanctions against Russia are getting tougher by the day, and countries are drastically increasing arms spending. Issues that at least Western European society has been spared in recent decades are now taking center stage in our daily affairs. As morbid as it sounds, as seen in the example of the Corona pandemic, there are not only losers but also companies that can profit from crises. In the case of modern warfare, this could be the US data analysis company Palantir Technologies. At the recent Munich Security Conference, Palantir CEO Alex Karp advocated using AI technology in the European military. It would be the factor to defend the fundamental values of states in the future.

Palantir, which generates more than half of its revenue from US government, intelligence and law enforcement contracts, advises Europe to dominate AI in the military. In the US, people are convinced of the reliability of the data analytics platform. For example, the Denver-based Company received a USD 34 million procurement contract from the US Army to further develop the Army Intelligence Data Platform (AIDP), an AI-powered battle management analytics system. The US military uses the platform to predict where militias or opposing armies will place ground mines, for example, to attack US forces' convoys of vehicles.

Palantir's stock has suffered heavy losses in recent months, falling from a high of USD 45 to a current USD 12.18. From a chart perspective, the resistance area at USD 9.75 was defended so that a trend reversal could begin here. However, the title is speculative, but the potential to become one of the most important technology companies in the next few years is still there.

Perimeter Medical Imaging AI - The medical technology of the future

Whether Palantir's technology is ethically correct remains to be seen. In contrast, the development of the medical technology company Perimeter Medical Imaging AI is groundbreaking and indeed serves the good of humanity. The Company has an office in Ontario, Canada, in addition to its headquarters in Dallas in the US. It aims to transform cancer surgery with ultra-high resolution, real-time advanced imaging tools to address unmet medical needs. Its proprietary technology enables surgeons, radiologists and pathologists to visualize microscopic tissue structures at surgical margins during and after clinical procedures.

The Company, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, on Nasdaq and in Frankfurt with the abbreviation PINK and has a current market capitalization of EUR 120.06 million, has already made substantial progress in the past year. One of its key achievements was 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration, enabling the commercial launch of its flagship Perimeter S-Series OCT platform. In addition, a multi-center, randomized, two-arm clinical trial of the Perimeter B-Series OCT platform in combination with ImgAssist AI was initiated and continues to enroll patients and is expected to be completed later this year.

Financially, further growth was secured with the raising of USD 48.7 million. It is also expected to accelerate sales and marketing efforts to place the flagship Perimeter S-Series OCT product in leading hospitals where key opinion leaders can advocate the technology. In parallel, Perimeter's clinical team will focus on continued patient recruitment and healthcare provider engagement in the ongoing pivotal study evaluating next-generation Perimeter B-Series OCT with ImgAssist AI in breast lumpectomy. The goal is to collect data from approximately 300 patients at 8 sites and complete the study in 2022.

Steinhoff - Underwhelmed

It is not so much about the move to artificial intelligence at global retailer Steinhoff, headquartered in Amsterdam. Instead, management continues to struggle to come to terms with the past. The Company is now in the final phase of its three-stage turnaround strategy, which focuses on reducing debt and making its balance sheet sustainable.

Recently, the figures for the fourth quarter of 2021 were presented. The group reported a 10% increase to EUR 2.827 billion in terms of revenue. For Steinhoff's US investment Mattress Firm, an increase in quarterly revenue from EUR 785 million to EUR 987 million was reported. "The group's main focus is now on implementing step three of the three-step strategy plan - addressing the high level of debt," Steinhoff said in a statement.

After the strong performance and the bounce off the EUR 0.30 mark, the share price had to give way again significantly and temporarily fell below the EUR 0.20 mark. The next test is the support area at EUR 0.18. Given the extreme debts of an assumed magnitude of almost EUR 10 billion, an investment continues to resemble a game of roulette.

Artificial intelligence continues to advance and can be found in nearly every industry. Given the current geopolitical situation, Palantir could benefit from its AI-powered battle management analysis system and subsequent government contracts from Western countries. Perimeter is pioneering the fight against breast cancer and could surprise positively when further study results are published. Steinhoff remains highly speculative.