Alex Karp buys 15,000 hectares of land in Härjedalen for recreation - Palantir denies industrial plans

Several media have reported how Alex Karp, CEO of the AI ​​company Palantir, has bought around 15,000 hectares of land in the municipality of Berg in Härjedalen.

DN has seen documents that show that the forest company SCA has sold a number of forest properties to the newly formed company Cladonia Skog AB.

In total, it is about 15,000 hectares that stretch along the southern shore of Lake Storsjön and south to the mountain ridge Högrensvålvallen. According to the acquisition permit, the price for the land amounts to SEK 235 million. The chairman of the board of Cladonia Skog AB is Alex Karp, who is also the full owner of the company through two foreign companies.

The properties that Karp has acquired are described by SCA as consisting largely of mountain land and impediment, i.e. land that is too poor for forestry. In addition, there are areas of forest close to the mountains.

According to Robert Östholm, press manager at SCA, it is an area that is "suitable for recreation, skiing, hiking or the like".

Nikolaj Gammeltoft from Palantir states that this is exactly what Alex Karp intends to use the area for:

"The goal is to take care of this unique area through responsible forest management that takes plant and animal life into account," he writes in an email to DN.

Although Alex Karp now owns 100 percent of the land, the transfer has taken place between two companies, which is important for the county board to approve the application for the acquisition. The decision states that "The County Administrative Board assesses that the acquisition does not impair the possibility of residence and employment in the locality".

Concerns have been raised that the land would have been acquired for the purpose of establishing data centers or other large-scale high-tech industry. These rumors are categorically dismissed by Palantir:

"We really want to hammer home this point, that the speculation about industrial use of the land is unfounded and pure fantasy. This must be done with the greatest respect and love for the land and Swedish culture," writes Nikolaj Gammeltoft.

DN has spoken with those responsible for business at Berg municipality, who state that they have had no contact with representatives of the newly started Cladonia Skog AB, or with Palantir. Nor were local electricity companies aware of the deal between SCA and Cladonia when DN asked questions.

Alex Karp is one of the world's richest people. According to Forbes, his fortune amounts to 20 billion dollars, i.e. just under 200 billion kroner. Karp has made his fortune through the tech company Palantir, which he started together with, among others, Peter Thiel in 2003.

The company sells AI-based systems used to manage massive amounts of data and has been criticized for using its systems for mass surveillance, espionage and military purposes.

Among other things, Palantir's system has been used by the American immigration agency ICE. Among the customers is also the Israeli Defense Forces, which uses the advanced technology to identify targets in its warfare.

DN has previously written that many points to the fact that the Swedish Police Agency also uses software from Palantir.

In a high-profile interview with Business Insider from 2020, Alex Karp reflects on how Palantir's technology is significant in the fight against terrorism, but at the same time is being used to harm people – or worse:

- Our product is sometimes used to kill people, he says.