Notice of Intent to Review ERIS Marketplace Solutions

This DARPA special notice (DARPA-SN-26-56) solicits innovative proposals to develop advanced open-source cybersecurity tools specifically aimed at vulnerability research and analysis within the AI technology stack, covering both AI hardware accelerators—such as GPUs, NPUs, and TPUs—and associated software. The primary focus is on overcoming current limitations of proprietary, vendor-specific tools by creating scalable, cross-platform solutions capable of deep introspection, debugging, reverse engineering, emulation, and fuzzing of highly parallelized AI systems. These tools are intended to support distributed computing environments and facilitate comprehensive security assessments across multiple AI accelerator architectures, addressing critical defense and commercial cybersecurity needs. Proposals must be submitted as videos through the ERIS Marketplace portal by May 31, 2026, following a prescribed titling format and accompanied by an email notification. The evaluation approach emphasizes the proposer’s ability to clearly define the problem and current technological landscape, the degree of technical innovation, team expertise and vision, and the potential impact of the solution on both defense and commercial sectors. No formal federal acquisition clauses, socioeconomic certifications, or pricing details are included in this notice, which serves as an exploratory research outreach rather than a binding contract. The period of performance spans approximately two and a half months from March 12 to May 31, 2026, with the official place of performance designated as Arlington, VA. The evaluation utilizes a qualitative, trade-off process aligned with DARPA’s ERIS Master Solicitation framework, prioritizing innovation and technical merit over cost, and submissions are exclusively digital, with no physical packaging or marking requirements.