Palantir Technologies (NYSE:PLTR) is on a rocket ride, with shares popping nearly 19% today after a smashing Q3 earnings report blew past Wall Street's forecasts. The company pulled in $726 million in revenuea 30% surge year-over-year, sparked by booming demand for its AI offerings across both commercial and government sectors. Since hitting the S&P 500 roster, Palantir's stock has more than doubled this year, now positioned as a major player for investors eager to ride the AI wave. This latest performance, combined with Palantir's rapid-fire revenue growth, has kept analysts bullish on the stock's potential.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with PLTR.

Key to Palantir's success has been its entrenched role in government defense, especially with its expanded duties in Project Maven, the Pentagon's marquee AI initiative. The company's AI platform isn't just raking in revenue; it's transforming the battlefield for U.S. allies in regions like Ukraine and the Middle East, where Palantir's tools aid critical decision-making and logistics. On the commercial side, its "bootcamp" approach is bringing fresh U.S. clients into the fold, fueling a whopping 54% bump in U.S. commercial revenue. Palantir's focus on capturing the U.S. market is strategic, and investors are taking notice.

Looking ahead, Palantir upped its full-year revenue guidance to around $2.8 billion, underscoring confidence in its U.S.-centric growth while acknowledging some international hurdles. But with a 39% increase in its commercial customer base and solid profitability across recent quarters, Palantir is sending a clear signal: it's a force to be reckoned with in the AI sector, primed for a bigger slice of the surging data-analytics market.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.