Anduril Launches AI-Drone Racing 'Grand Prix' Where Winner Gets $500,000 And A Job
Anduril, the bleeding-edge defense company known for its autonomous, AI-driven defense systems, is launching a contest to see who can build the best AI system capable of piloting high-speed racing drones through tricky race courses with zero human control. The fastest drone wins.
Participants in this "AI Grand Prix" can compete individually or in teams of up to eight - with winners receiving a $500,000 prize. If the event is won by a team, the prize money will be split between its members, according to the company's website, calling on "the boldest engineers from around the globe" to compete, BI reports. While all ages can compete, those under 17 will require parental consent and won't be eligible for the job offer.
The competition kicks off in April with two virtual rounds, which will be followed by a two-week training and physical qualifier in California in September. The race itself will be held in November in Ohio, where the company's 5 millions-square-foot factory, Arsenal 1, is being built just outside Columbus.
Anduril founder Lucky Palmer came up with the idea, according to the AI Grand Prix website.
That said, contestants are also agreeing to give up their IP, freely.
Very cool “competition” where you cede the rights to your IP for free https://t.co/krTvVUyFfP pic.twitter.com/uuD17CQbYO
— William Craddick (@williamcraddick) January 28, 2026
Luckey, 33, started building railguns, tesla coils and lasers as a teen. When he was 16 he began building VR headsets. After giving one to software legend John Carmack free of charge, he dropped out of college at California State University at the age of 19 to launch Oculus VR in 2012. Facebook eventually acquired Oculus in March 2014 for $2 billion. He was fired from Facebook following backlash over his political donations to a pro-Trump group, which ran a billboard showing Hillary Clinton with the text "Too Big To Jail."
He launched Anduril in 2017 along with four co-founders, with the goal of modernizing US military hardware and developing autonomous weapons that he says will "save Western civilization."
As BI notes, Luckey has previously said that relying too much on people from Silicon Valley can be a trap, as Bay Area talent is often "very mercenary-minded," and more focused on résumé building than the mission.
Anduril is now one of the most closely watched defense startups in the country, winning billion-dollar Pentagon contracts and expanding its footprint outside the US.