DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASA(ALT)) is partnering with the Headquarters Department of Army G2 (HQDA-G2) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Task Force to deliver the xTechLive competition at DEF CON. The U.S. Army recognizes that the U.S. DOD must enhance engagements with industry by reaching new audiences through innovative platforms such as live pitch competitions held at venues not traditionally attended by the U.S. Army. This initiative aims to (1) understand the spectrum of ‘world-class’ technologies being developed commercially that may benefit the U.S. DOD; (2) integrate the sector of non-traditional innovators into the U.S. DOD Science and Technology (S&T) ecosystem; and (3) provide expertise and feedback to accelerate, mature, and transition technologies of interest to the U.S. DOD.   

The competition will award up to $100,000 in cash prizes to selected participants. Up to 18 applicants will be selected onsite to present their technology concepts to a live panel of U.S. Army and DOD subject matter experts (SMEs) on either August 8 or 9, 2025. The U.S. Army intends to select up to six (6) winners to receive a cash prize of first and second place: $25,000; third and fourth place: $15,000; and fifth and sixth place: $10,000.  

Registration will take place onsite at the Las Vegas Convention Center, West Exhibit Hall W4 in the U.S. Army xTech Program booth on August 8, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. PT (dates and locations are subject to change without notice). To be considered for a live pitch presentation, interested entities must first meet the requirements outlined in Section II of the RFI. Additionally, eligible entities will be required to fill out a registration form and provide a 60-second elevator pitch of their technology concept, addressing a solution capable of real-time or near-real-time fusion of noisy, unstructured, and multimodal data sources based on tactical priorities. This is required to ensure alignment with the U.S. Army’s objectives. For additional details, please refer to Section IV of the RFI.  

All presentations will be conducted in front of a public audience.  

In addition to non-dilutive cash prizes, participants may have the opportunity to engage with U.S. Army and DOD experts attending DEF CON 33, receiving valuable feedback on their innovations.   

The efforts described in this notice are being pursued under the authorities of 10 U.S.C. § 4025 to award cash prizes recognizing advanced technology achievements.  

While the authority of this program is 10 U.S.C. § 4025, the xTechLive competition may generate interest by another U.S. Army, DOD or United States Government (USG) organization for a funding opportunity outside of this program (e.g., submission of a proposal under a Broad Agency Announcement). The interested organization may contact the participant to provide additional information or ask for a request for proposal in a separate solicitation. Winners of the prize competition may have opportunities to submit a separate proposal for further development of their proposed technology solution based on the needs of the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army may use a contract mechanism of their choice and will notify the participants accordingly.  

The xTech Program is conducted in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4025, which authorizes the use of prize competitions to stimulate innovation and identify promising technologies for national security applications. As such, this competition serves as a competitive down select mechanism that enables government organizations to engage with winners through a variety of follow-on acquisition pathways, including but not limited to: 

• 10 U.S.C. § 4114 – Selection of contractors for prototype projects 
• 10 U.S.C. § 4022 – Prototype projects 
• 10 U.S.C. § 4023 – Procurement for experimental purposes 
• 10 U.S.C. § 4001 – Research and development 
• 10 U.S.C. § 4021 – Other Transaction Authority (OTA) 
• 15 U.S.C. § 3703 – Technology innovation partnerships 

Government organizations are encouraged to consider leveraging these statutory authorities to pursue follow-on awards with companies identified through the xTech competition process. This approach supports rapid technology maturation, accelerates the transition of innovative capabilities to the field, and promotes collaboration with non-traditional and small business performers. 

The U.S. Army xTech Program utilizes the online evaluation and feedback tool, Valid Eval, to accept applications and streamline the evaluation and feedback process. xTech will provide a feedback report to participants following the live pitch event that will be accessible through the tool. These reports are intended to support the potential acceleration of technology transition by offering insights into relevant Army applications, recommendations for refinement to better meet Army needs, and suggested next steps for further development. Please note that while this feedback is provided as a resource, the government may not respond to individual questions or inquiries related to the content of the report. 

Topics and Problem Statements 

The U.S. Army seeks a software-based AI-powered fusion engine that (1) ingests heterogeneous, disaggregated, noisy data sources (e.g., radar, cell phone activity, full motion video, intercepted radio transmissions, satellite imagery), (2) discovers the most valuable information across multiple data sets in near-real time, and (3) allows for dissemination of outputs in an object-ready format. 

The solution should be capable of real-time or near-real-time fusion of noisy, unstructured, and multimodal data sources based on tactical priorities. The solution should enable analysts and decision-makers to take action in a timely manner. Last, the tool should: 

• Handle fragmented, incomplete, and competing data streams without prior labeling 
• Find pertinent data based on user-defined parameters 
• Include source information in the data labels 
• Validate the data and communicate a confidence level (high, moderate, low) 
• Identify and evaluate data (hallucinations, biases, and inaccuracies) 
• Use explainable AI models 
• Identify additional information needed to increase confidence levels 
• Identify key patterns or correlations 
• Highlight anomalous or emergent activity 

Topic descriptions can be found in Appendix A of the RFI. 

SCHEDULE AND PRIZES

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for this competition, entities must be a small to medium business attending DEF CON 33 in Las Vegas, NV. A small to medium business is defined as one with <1,500 employees.   

Each eligible entity:  

• Must be able to obtain a CAGE code (U.S. businesses) and/or NCAGE code (international businesses) to process payments (CAGE codes are not required during registration);  
• Shall be incorporated in, and maintain, a primary place of business in the U.S. or a foreign country;   
• May not be a U.S. federal or foreign government entity or employ a U.S. federal employee acting within the scope of their employment;   
• May not be a company or person controlled by, funded by, or under the jurisdiction or direction of foreign adversaries; and  
• Must not be based in a foreign country of concern (FCOC), directly funded by an FCOC-government or FCOC-government-subsidized guidance fund or be under the influence of an FCOC-based government in any way.  

Failure to meet these requirements will result in ineligibility for award.  

Companies that have previously received a U.S. Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award or have been selected as a finalist or winner in an xTech prize competition are not permitted to resubmit the same technology concept that was previously contracted, awarded, or presented. Submissions must represent a materially distinct or significantly advanced iteration of the original concept. 

The xTech Program will not provide travel or registration funding for eligible entities to attend DEF CON 33.