Overview
- Bloomberg reported that SpaceX and its subsidiary xAI were selected for the classified competition, while SpaceX, xAI and DIU declined comment and Reuters said it could not independently verify the claim.
- Launched in January, the prize challenge spans six months and is structured in phases that start with software development and proceed to live platform testing.
- The effort is organized by the Defense Innovation Unit with the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group under U.S. Special Operations Command.
- The software goal is to convert spoken commands into digital instructions that coordinate multi‑domain drone swarms, and a defense official said the systems are intended for offensive operations affecting lethality.
- OpenAI is reported to support an Applied Intuition bid limited to a mission‑control translation role, while xAI has recent Pentagon contracts, security‑cleared hiring and is expected to work with SpaceX across the full project.