Contract

Decentralized Artificial Intelligence through Controlled Emergence (DICE)

Agency: DEPT OF DEFENSE / DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA)
Location: ARLINGTON, VA
Amount: Amount not listed
Deadline: Closes in 38 days (Aug 25, 2026)
Posted: Jul 14, 2026
Set-aside: None (open competition)
NAICS code: 541715

What this contract is for

The DICE program seeks to develop the theory and algorithms for decentralized coordination and local inference control to enable a scalable, adaptive, and resilient collective of heterogeneous AI agents that can autonomously execute sustained long-time-horizon missions in contested environments while remaining under human control. In contrast to small-scale, rigid, and fragile centralized orchestration or the high-risk unpredictable nature of ad hoc compositions of AI agents, DICE aims to harness the scalability and adaptability of self-organizing systems while minimizing risks and ensuring that the collective behavior remains predictable and aligned with intended outcomes. This approach mirrors the principles of decentralized self-organization that underpin the internet's own scalability and resilience, where robust global behavior emerges from simple, local rules.

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