The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) made history at CES 2025 with the world’s first successful completion of a multi-car autonomous race.
This groundbreaking event held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway marked a major milestone in the evolution of physical AI and autonomous racing, with four IAC AV-24 fully autonomous racecars piloted by AI drivers from top global university teams competing head-to-head in a 20-lap exhibition race.
The race ended in a thrilling side-by-side photo finish, with Unimore Racing crossing the finish line less than three-tenths of a second faster than Cavalier Autonomous Racing.
The multi-car exhibition race not only showcased impressive advancements in AI driver capabilities but also highlighted how the IAC is advancing technology to improve the safety of high-speed autonomy.
For the first time in the history of motorsports racing, four autonomous racecars completed a full race with multiple overtakes and no accidents. This demonstrated how autonomous systems can navigate extreme speeds while also safely managing complex multi-agent interactions in real-time.
Paul Mitchell, president and CEO, Indy Autonomous Challenge, says: “Since our first race in 2021, the IAC and our university teams have been making history with the world’s fastest autonomous racecars, from setting speed records to introducing the world to head-to-head autonomous racing.
“But our goal has always been multi-agent racing, so being the first to have all our AI drivers complete a race and do so with five overtakes, no accidents, and a nose-to-nose finish is a testament to the progress of the IAC’s global ecosystem of highly talented university researchers, industry partners, and government supporters.”
Pushing the boundaries of autonomous racing
At CES 2025, the IAC featured a progressive, tiered competition format designed to allow teams at varying levels to compete and showcase their AI driver development. Nine university teams competed in three race events.
In an exhilarating display of cutting-edge AI technology, the Autonomous Tiger Racing – Auburn University team claimed victory in the Tier 1 single-car time trials with a blistering fastest lap average of 163.6 mph.
The competition was fierce, with the IU Luddy – Indiana University’s team clocking in with a fastest lap average of 158.0 mph and the Caltech Autonomous Systems and Technologies Racer team – California Institute of Technology reaching a lap average of 144.3 mph.
Purdue AI Racing – Purdue University and AI Racing Tech – University of California, Berkeley, with University of Hawai’i, University of California, San Diego, and Carnegie Mellon University competed in the Tier 2 passing competition – a two-car passing competition challenging teams to demonstrate strategic racing and AI adaptability in close-quarter scenarios.
AI Racing Tech edged out Purdue AI Racing by completing a 162 mph overtake in the final seconds of the last passing round.
And the day culminated with the historic Tier 3 multi-car exhibition race, in which the following four autonomous racecars took part:
- Unimore Racing – University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy)
- Cavalier Autonomous Racing – University of Virginia
- PoliMOVE-MSU – Politecnico di Milano (Italy), and Michigan State University, with University of Alabama
- KAIST – Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (South Korea)
The teams competed in an open format 20-lap race including 5 overtakes, showcasing the evolution of AI’s ability to manage multi-agent high-speed autonomy. The multi-car race also demonstrated the first use of autonomous push-to-pass, where the AI drivers had to strategically determine when to use the 30-second 25 mph boost during the race.
Despite challenging weather conditions with 30 mph wind gusts, the competition provided several exciting highlights showcasing the ability of AI drivers to manage high speeds, head-to-head passing, and multi-agent racing.
All teams finished their race events with no crashes. Notably, the winning teams in the time trials and passing competition events were both led by female Team Managers, Autonomous Tiger Racing by Stephanie Meyer and AI Racing Tech by C.K. Wolfe.
A new commercial frontier
Alongside the excitement of the races, the IAC made a major announcement which promises to further accelerate the commercialization of autonomous technologies. The IAC revealed Aidoptation, a new commercial spinout focused on leveraging the IAC’s pioneering work in high-speed mobility and autonomous systems.
Headquartered in Belgium at DronePort, Aidoptation will focus on commercializing the IAC’s intellectual property, with backing from Belgium’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (LRM) and Ethias, a leading insurance company.
This new venture is poised to bridge the gap between the IAC’s cutting-edge advancements seen on the racetrack and their practical applications in industries like autonomous vehicles, robotics, and high-speed mobility, setting the stage for a new era in physical AI solutions.
Strengthening partnerships
The IAC has also welcomed two new teams to its growing roster, with IU Luddy – Indiana University and Caltech Autonomous Systems and Technologies Racer – California Institute of Technology joining the competition, further enriching the diversity of talent and innovation within the IAC community.
Both teams set personal best lap times during the time trials. The IAC continues to strengthen its partnerships with leading organizations. Notably, the IAC’s collaboration with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) remains a cornerstone of the IAC’s mission.
DARPA has selected the IAC as a test and evaluation platform for AI in simulation and real environments, accelerating the development of autonomous technologies with real-world applications.
Physical AI
In addition to the races, the IAC had a major presence at CES 2025, providing attendees with an up-close look at the IAC’s vision for the future of autonomous systems.
The IAC’s display in the West Hall lobby featured the IAC AV-24, the world’s fastest autonomous racecar, offering attendees a glimpse into the high-performance capabilities of AI-driven vehicles.
At CES 2025, the IAC also hosted a series of thought-provoking conference sessions, including: How to Build Physical AI for Mobility and Physical AI: Moving from Bits to Atoms.
These conference sessions provided valuable insights into the future of physical AI, underscoring the potential of this technology to revolutionize industries ranging from transportation to robotics.
Looking to the future
The success of the world’s first multi-car autonomous race at CES 2025 marks the beginning of a new chapter for the IAC.
With its bold vision for autonomous racing and ongoing collaborations with industry leaders, academic institutions, and government agencies, the IAC is driving the development of AI and robotics, while stimulating the advancement of mobility, safety, and sustainability across various sectors.
