IARPA ARCADE

IARPA ARCADE

Funds United States contractors building AI workflows for circuit design and technical document understanding.

ARCADE — Artificial Reasoning for Circuit Automation and Design Engineering — is a research programme funded by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the U.S. Intelligence Community's advanced research agency operating within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The programme funds development of AI-driven knowledge assistants that ingest technical data including schematics and datasheets to enable rapid component selection, technical documentation analysis, and automated circuit design workflows for Intelligence Community applications. ARCADE is issued under the IARPA Emerging Technology Accelerator (ETA) framework via solicitation DOI-ETA-FY26-30, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior on behalf of IARPA. Awards are structured as Prototype Other Transaction Agreements rather than traditional grants or contracts. Typical award amounts range from USD 1,000,000 to USD 5,000,000, with a period of performance of 12 to 24 months consistent with ETA programme standards; exact amounts are not pre-specified and depend on proposal scope and government funding availability. White papers for the initial review wave were due 30 June 2026; after the Q&A period is posted, submissions are accepted on a rolling basis until sufficient white papers are received. Eligible prime contractors must be U.S.-based; small businesses, non-traditional defense contractors, nonprofits, and university research teams are all eligible. Government agencies, FFRDCs, UARCs, and organisations with privileged access to IC systems are explicitly ineligible as prime contractors. Foreign organisations may participate only as subcontractors within U.S.-led teams. The submission process follows a white-paper-first competitive model: teams submit a short white paper, receive IARPA feedback, and are selectively invited to submit a full proposal for OTA award. Teams must qualify for OTA through non-traditional contractor participation, small-business exclusivity, or minimum one-third non-federal cost-share. Solicitation documents and submission instructions are posted on SAM.gov under solicitation number DOI-ETA-FY26-30.