Anthropic, Google, OpenAI and xAI granted up to $200 million for AI work from Defense Department

Group 1 - The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is awarding contracts up to $200 million for artificial intelligence development to companies including Anthropic, Google, OpenAI, and xAI [1][2] - The Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office of the DoD stated that these awards will accelerate the adoption of advanced AI capabilities to address national security challenges [2] - The adoption of AI is seen as transformative for the DoD's ability to support warfighters and maintain strategic advantages over adversaries, according to Doug Matty, the DoD's chief digital and AI officer [2] Group 2 - xAI announced Grok for Government, a suite of products making its models available to U.S. government customers, purchasable through the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule [3] - OpenAI previously received a $200 million contract from the DoD in 2024 to collaborate with defense technology startup Anduril for deploying advanced AI systems for national security missions [4] - In June, OpenAI launched OpenAI for Government aimed at U.S. federal, state, and local government workers [4]