SpaceX Enters Pentagon Competition for Cutting-Edge Autonomous Drone Technology: Report

Elon Musk’s SpaceX, along with its subsidiary xAI, is reportedly taking part in a confidential Pentagon competition aimed at developing voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology. This intriguing development was revealed by Bloomberg News, which cited sources familiar with the situation.

Efforts to reach SpaceX, xAI, and the Pentagon’s defense innovation unit for comments have so far been unsuccessful. Reuters has also been unable to independently confirm these details at this time.

In a strategic move, SpaceX, which is based in Texas, recently acquired xAI. This merger effectively brings together Musk’s prominent space and defense enterprise with his burgeoning artificial intelligence venture. The acquisition comes as SpaceX prepares for its anticipated initial public offering later this year.

According to Bloomberg, Musk’s companies are among a select group chosen to compete in a $100 million challenge that was launched in January. The competition spans six months and is focused on creating cutting-edge swarming technology. This technology would be capable of converting voice commands into digital instructions, enabling the coordination and control of multiple drones.

The six-month competition aims to produce advanced swarming technology that can translate voice commands into digital instructions and run multiple drones, the report said.

Musk was among a group of AI and robotics researchers who wrote an open letter in 2015 that advocated a global ban on “offensive autonomous weapons,” arguing against making “new tools for killing people.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year outlined a new strategy to accelerate drone development and deployment by aiming to cut bureaucracy and boost domestic drone manufacturing.

The US also has been seeking safe and cost-effective ways to neutralize drones, particularly around airports and large sporting events — a concern that has become more urgent ahead of the FIFA World Cup and America250 anniversary celebrations this summer.

OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Anthropic and xAI last year won contracts that are worth up to $200 million each and aimed at scaling up adoption of advanced AI capabilities in the Pentagon.