DARPA’s AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) Finalists

At DEFCON 32, DARPA announced the AI Cyber Challenge finalist.  Participants in the AIxCC “designed AI systems to secure open-source infrastructure software to be used in industries like financial services, utilities, and healthcare. Each finalist was awarded a $2 million prize.”  

Seven teams advanced to the finals after the DARPA AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) semifinal competition at DEF CON 32 last week. The teams were each awarded a $2 million prize and will participate in the final competition in August 2025. A partnership between DARPA and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the AIxCC competition had teams design artificial intelligence (AI) systems to secure open source infrastructure software that is used across the private and public sectors in areas like finance, utilities, and health care. These systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks because they have large attack surfaces and lack security tools at scale. Indeed, many have been recent targets, highlighting the urgent need to protect critical infrastructure.