Team Samsung has taken first place in the finals of the U.S. government-sponsored AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC), the world’s largest artificial intelligence security competition. The event, organized by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was held on August 8 at DEF CON 33 in Las Vegas.
DARPA created AIxCC to accelerate development of automated security tools that can detect and patch software flaws without human intervention. The challenge carried a total prize pool of $22.5 million.
AIxCC began in 2023 with 42 teams from universities, research labs, and global tech companies. Seven teams advanced to this year’s finals. Samsung competed as Team Atlanta, led by Samsung Research’s Device eXperience (DX) Division, alongside experts from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH). During the semifinals, Team Atlanta stood out as the only group to identify an unintended vulnerability — one not deliberately planted by organizers — further demonstrating technical expertise.
In the finals, teams were evaluated on their ability to analyze source code, detect vulnerabilities, and apply patches using AI-driven tools alone. Samsung’s system earned top marks for precision and sophistication, securing first place and a $4 million prize.
“Samsung Electronics was able to achieve meaningful results by demonstrating its AI-based security technology capabilities at a global security technology competition,” said Taesoo Kim, Vice President of Samsung Research and lead of Team Atlanta. “We will continue to expand collaboration with global security experts to further advance Samsung Electronics’ security technology proficiency.”
Building on the win, Samsung plans to integrate AI-driven security into its next-generation products and services. The company says it aims to develop autonomous solutions that can continuously identify and mitigate vulnerabilities, strengthening long-term digital security.