Elon Musk’s space venture SpaceX has reportedly joined a secret Pentagon competition.
AI Drone Swarms At The Center Of $100M Pentagon Challenge
SpaceX and its newly acquired AI subsidiary xAI are among a small group selected for a $100 million Defense Department prize challenge launched in January, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The six-month-long contest seeks advanced swarm systems capable of translating voice commands into digital instructions and coordinating multiple drones simultaneously.
SpaceX and xAI did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments.
Musk’s Expanding AI And Defense Footprint
The reported participation comes after SpaceX acquired xAI in February. This development came amid rumors that SpaceX could go public in 2026.
During the same time, Democratic senators asked Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to investigate SpaceX’s alleged Chinsese investments.
Musk was among AI and robotics researchers who signed an open letter calling for a global ban on offensive autonomous weapons.
Meanwhile, last year, Hegseth outlined a strategy to speed up drone development. The strategy included reducing bureaucracy and promoting domestic drone manufacturing.
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