Indy Autonomous Challenge Returns to CES 2025

The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) is gearing up for its return to CES 2025 with new developments, including the introduction of multicar racing and the future of physical artificial intelligence. Set to take place on January 9, 2025 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 2-4 PM PST, the Autonomous Challenge at CES 2025 will give attendees a firsthand look at the evolution of AI in high-speed motorsport, challenge organizers say.

Multicar Showdown and Tiered Competitions

Having introduced head-to-head autonomous racing 3 years ago at CES, the IAC will attempt another historic feat during CES 2025 with a multicar exhibition race. Teams will run  up to 4 autonomous racecars on track at the same time, in a 20-lap format. The exhibition race will test not just individual car performance but the ability of AI systems to manage complex multi-agent interactions at high speed.

The IAC race event at CES2025 will feature a progressive three-tiered structure, designed to ensure teams at every level can actively compete and showcase their AI driver development:

• Tier 1: Single-car time trials, providing teams an opportunity to demonstrate the stability of their AI driver at extreme high speeds.
• Tier 2: A two-car passing competition, designed to challenge teams with strategic racing and AI adaptability in head-to-head racing scenarios.
• Tier 3: Multicar racing event, where up to 4 racecars compete in open racing, testing limits of AI driver multi-agent interaction and high speeds.

This structure allows for a progressive increase in AI racing difficulty, ensuring all teams, regardless of experience, have a chance to showcase their AI driver development in autonomous racing, IAC reports.

New Teams and Partnership

The IAC also welcomes two new university teams: Indiana University and California Institute of Technology, bringing the total number of IAC teams to 10. These new additions expand the IAC’s pool of talent that are working on a common AI and robotics platform.

The IAC also collaborates with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which selected IAC as an official test and evaluation platform for use in improving AI training for autonomous systems. This work is part of a new DARPA program, Transfer Learning from Imprecise and Abstract Models to Autonomous Technologies (TIAMAT), which aims to address the “simulation to real” gap in AI training.

“The Indy Autonomous Challenge is truly leading the charge in the physical AI revolution,” says Paul Mitchell, president of the Indy Autonomous Challenge. “By pushing the limits of autonomous technology on the racetrack, we’re not just developing AI that can drive racecars—we’re creating systems that can be applied to everything from aviation to autonomous vehicles and robotics. The race at CES will be a showcase of cutting-edge innovation, and it’s also a great example of what can be achieved when government, academia, and industry come together to tackle some of the biggest tech challenges of our time.”

IAC at CES 2025

The IAC will be on display at CES 2025 in the West Hall lobby, showcasing the IAC-AV-24 autonomous racecar, along with a series of CES Conference Sessions exploring the future of AI in motorsport and beyond. Sessions include:

• How To Build Physical AI for Mobility, Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 10:30-11 AM PST, LVCC West Hall, Level 1, CES 2025 Mobility Stage 
• Physical AI: Moving From Bits to Atoms, Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 4-4:40 PM PST, LVCC West Hall Lobby, CTA Main Stage 
• Indy Autonomous Challenge: Racing in the Cloud, Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 5:30-6 PM PST LVCC, West Hall, Amazon Theater, #4000 

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.