Anduril co-founder and CEO Brian Schimpf joins CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal to discuss how artificial intelligence, autonomy and software are reshaping the defense industry.
Schimpf explains why Anduril believes the modern battlefield will become increasingly autonomous and connected — and why the volume of data from drones, sensors, aircraft, ships and other military systems could become impossible for humans to manage without AI.
He also addresses concerns about autonomous weapons. While “no one wants the insane version of this,” Schimpf argues that the answer is not to build “dumber weapons.” Instead, he says AI should make military systems more precise, predictable and better supervised, while keeping human commanders accountable for high-consequence decisions.
The conversation explores how Anduril is using AI across its own business, from coding and engineering to manufacturing and product development. Schimpf also discusses the company’s production push, including plans to ramp from zero to at least 1,000 cruise missiles a year under a Pentagon contract.
Schimpf outlines the supply-chain risks facing the defense industry, including China’s leverage over rare earth magnets, germanium, batteries and other critical components. He explains why Western governments may need to rebuild processing and manufacturing capacity to reduce those dependencies.
The interview also covers Europe’s push for defense sovereignty, Anduril’s international expansion, the company’s rapid growth to a $61 billion valuation and why Schimpf says Anduril is not in a rush to go public.
Subscribe to “The Tech Download” wherever you get your podcasts.
#CNBC #CNBCPodcast #TheTechDownload
-----
Subscribe: @cnbci
CNBC International Live: @cnbcinternationalive
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/cnbc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cnbc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cnbc
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnbc
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@cnbc
X: https://twitter.com/CNBC
Telegram: https://t.me/cnbc