Cleveland-Cliffs Enters Strategic Partnership with Palantir Technologies
Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF) announced it has entered a strategic partnership with Palantir Technologies (PLTR) to deploy advanced AI-driven solutions across its footprint. The recently executed three-year agreement puts Palantir's AI technology at the center of Cliffs' key internal processes in operations and commercial. The company said, "The partnership represents a significant step forward in Cleveland-Cliffs' ongoing effort to modernize its systems across its manufacturing footprint. By leveraging Palantir's enterprise AI platform, Cliffs is embedding artificial intelligence directly into production planning, order entry, and operational workflows to better integrate data, anticipate constraints, and coordinate activities across its facilities in real time. As AI becomes an increasingly important driver of competitiveness across all industrial businesses, the partnership with Palantir reflects Cleveland-Cliffs' broader focus on deploying advanced technology to drive productivity, improve performance, and position the company ahead of the curve when compared to others in the United States and abroad."
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Analyst Views on CLF
About CLF
About the author

- Attractive Stock Screening: Companies with market capitalizations between $2B and $10B, such as Aris Mining Corporation (ARIS), Avient (AVNT), and Compañía de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (BVN), are highlighted for their relative valuation advantages, attracting the attention of value-oriented investors.
- Valuation Grades: According to Seeking Alpha's valuation grades, these companies all received a B rating, indicating they are relatively cheap within the materials sector, making them suitable candidates for investors seeking opportunities.
- Valuation Metrics Analysis: The valuation grades are based on various metrics, including P/E, PEG, EV/Sales, and EV/EBITDA, using both current and forward estimates to provide a comprehensive assessment of the companies' relative values.
- Industry Outlook: These companies not only have solid valuation foundations but may also perform well amid future market fluctuations, positioning them as focal points for investor interest.
- Honor Recognition: Cleveland-Cliffs was awarded the 2025 Supplier of the Year by General Motors at its 34th annual Supplier of the Year event, being the only North American steel producer recognized this year, highlighting its leadership in the automotive steel supply chain.
- Strategic Partnership: GM's Senior Vice President Shilpan Amin emphasized that suppliers' outstanding performance is crucial for vehicle development, and Cleveland-Cliffs' support in new technology and execution enables GM to respond faster and compete more effectively in the market.
- Commitment to Excellence: Cleveland-Cliffs' CEO Lourenco Goncalves stated that receiving this award reflects the company's commitment to providing a secure, reliable domestic supply chain and best-in-class steel products in North America, further solidifying its market position.
- Global Impact: The 2025 GM Supplier Awards recognized 103 suppliers from 14 countries, underscoring Cleveland-Cliffs' exceptional performance in key areas such as safety, innovation, and customer support, showcasing its significant role in the global automotive industry.
- Sector Performance: The materials sector, accounting for only 1.9% of the S&P 500, has outperformed the index by 700 basis points so far in 2026, indicating strong investment returns and attracting increased investor interest.
- Steel Industry Transformation: Cleveland-Cliffs, the largest U.S. producer of flat-rolled steel, has seen its stock price rise nearly 50% over the past year, and its partnership with Palantir Technologies to leverage AI in logistics and manufacturing enhances its market position.
- Gas Supplier Advantage: Air Products and Chemicals, with a $9 billion order backlog, has established itself as a major supplier of industrial gases needed for electronic component manufacturing, and its stock has risen 23.5% year-to-date, reflecting strong execution and potential for earnings growth.
- Helium Market Challenges: Linde, forming an oligopoly with Air Products in the helium market, faces supply constraints due to the war in Iran and Western sanctions, yet its long-term commitments position it well to meet helium demand, potentially driving long-term share appreciation.
- AI Technology Partnership: Cleveland-Cliffs has signed a three-year agreement with Palantir to integrate AI software into production planning, order entry, and daily operations, aiming to enhance manufacturing efficiency amid intensifying global steel competition.
- Data Integration Improvement: By implementing Palantir's platform, Cleveland-Cliffs seeks to improve data integration and coordination across facilities, which is expected to optimize decision-making processes and enhance overall operational performance, driving the company's modernization efforts.
- Complexity Management: CEO Lourenco Goncalves emphasized that the complexity of integrated steelmaking allows Palantir's platform to provide solutions that surpass human-driven processes, demonstrating the company's strategic commitment to boosting productivity and performance.
- Industry Transformation Signal: This partnership represents not only an incremental step in Cleveland-Cliffs' productivity enhancement efforts but also reflects a broader trend of traditional industrial players increasingly relying on AI technology to gain operational advantages and adapt to rapidly changing market conditions.
- Environmental Settlement: The proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice requires Cleveland-Cliffs to address hazardous waste releases at its Middletown Works steel plant, with corrective measures expected to cost $12 million, highlighting the company's increasing environmental accountability.
- Historical Waste Management: Under the consent decree, Cleveland-Cliffs is responsible for managing closed landfills that historically received waste from the mill, including industrial wastewater treatment and sludge from steel production, which will impact its operational costs and compliance obligations.
- Lawsuit Closure: This settlement will close a civil lawsuit against the company's predecessor, AK Steel, initiated by the DOJ, indicating a significant shift in the company's legal and environmental responsibilities that could affect its future legal risks and reputation.
- Regulatory Pressure: With the involvement of the state of Ohio and environmental groups, this settlement reflects ongoing regulatory pressure on Cleveland-Cliffs regarding environmental compliance, potentially prompting the company to enhance its environmental management and sustainability strategies in the future.
- Three-Year Agreement: Cleveland-Cliffs has entered into a three-year agreement with Palantir to deploy AI tools across its operations and commercial processes, aiming to enhance overall efficiency through data integration and optimized production workflows.
- AI Platform Applications: Palantir's AI platform will serve as the core of Cleveland-Cliffs' internal systems, encompassing production planning, order entry, and broader operational workflows, thereby improving coordination between facilities and anticipating operational constraints in real time.
- Modernization Efforts: This agreement builds on earlier pilot work with Palantir, demonstrating Cleveland-Cliffs' ongoing commitment to modernizing its steel production systems and improving efficiency, even as its shares fell 1.2% in premarket trading.
- Market Reaction: Despite Cleveland-Cliffs expecting a $60 per ton increase in selling prices for Q2 and targeting $425 million in cash receipts from idled properties, the market's cautious response to the latest agreement reflects investor concerns about the company's future outlook.











