Pentagon Seeks $74B for Autonomous Warfare Push

Key Takeaways

• The Pentagon has requested $74 billion for autonomous and counter-drone technology in its proposed defense budget.
• A new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command called Autowarcom is expected to become operational by October 2027.
• CoreWeave reported a $104 billion revenue backlog and secured a $2.6 billion loan facility for global expansion.
• Nvidia invested an additional $2 billion in CoreWeave and gave it early access to the Vera Rubin architecture.
• OpenAI launched GPT-6.1 Sol at $2 per million tokens, one-fifth the price of GPT-6 Astra.
• 38% of retail investors in 13 countries are more likely to invest in Magnificent 7 companies due to heavy AI spending.
• Ukrainian AI start-up Osavul raised €8.5 million in Series A funding, bringing total funding to over €12 million.
• 56% of asset managers believe AI will help achieve higher alpha in investment returns.
• Hansa Biopharma partnered with Cradle to use AI-driven protein engineering, potentially cutting development timelines by 18 months.
• Cargo theft targeting AI companies is rising, with thieves stealing trailers including 20,000 pounds of sand from PlusAI's warehouse in Fremont, California.

Pentagon Creates Autonomous Warfare Command Autowarcom

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced six initiatives to modernize the U.S. military with a focus on AI, robotics and autonomous weapons. The new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command, called Autowarcom, is expected to become operational by October 2027. Hegseth assigned Project Agincourt to build the command and boost drone development and procurement. The Pentagon has requested $74 billion for autonomous and counter-drone technology in its proposed defense budget. Stocks of drone companies including ONDS, AVAV, KTOS, RCAT and UMAC rose overnight in response to the news.

3 US Defense Stocks Tied to Drone and Autonomous Warfare Push

The Pentagon's push into autonomous warfare through Autowarcom and Project Meridian is shifting defense spending toward drones, AI targeting and space-based systems. Lantronix is highlighted as a contractor that supplies edge computing and IoT gear for drones and autonomous systems. The company generates about $120.9 million from industrial and enterprise IoT products and services. Its hardware and software help autonomous platforms sense, think and communicate in real time. The article notes these defense contractors could benefit as future defense spending flows toward autonomous technology.

Hegseth Unveils Six Initiatives for Military Modernization

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced six initiatives at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia covering autonomous warfare, military planning, infrastructure, bases, officer training and religious affairs. The plans include the new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command known as Autowarcom, along with Project Meridian, Fortress America, The Next Great American Base, America's Corps of Cadets and an Office of Religious Affairs. Autowarcom is expected to become operational by October 2027 and will focus on expanding robotic and autonomous capabilities. Hegseth described this as the fastest peacetime shift in modern history for military technology.

CoreWeave Offers Strong Bet on AI Infrastructure Demand

CoreWeave reported a $104 billion revenue backlog and over $25 billion in additional net customer commitments in the third quarter. Nvidia invested an additional $2 billion in CoreWeave and gave it early access to the next-generation Vera Rubin architecture. CoreWeave plans an 8-gigawatt global expansion including three data centers in Indonesia expected to come online in 2028. The company secured a $2.6 billion loan facility to help fund its expansion. Some newer contracts are generating $40 million per megawatt in annualized revenue, showing strong customer demand for AI computing capacity.

CoreWeave Poised as Top IPO Pick for 2026

CoreWeave, a high-performance computing company, has surged over 300% in the past year and is considered a strong IPO pick for 2026. Nvidia's fresh investment could make CoreWeave a stealth winner in the AI infrastructure space. The company provides computing solutions to industries including finance, healthcare and education. CoreWeave's innovative technology and strong growth track record have made it a hot commodity among investors. Its stock continues to generate significant interest as demand for AI computing capacity grows.

Hansa Biopharma partners with Cradle to use AI for autoimmune disease drug design

Hansa Biopharma has partnered with Cradle to use AI-driven protein engineering in its drug discovery pipeline. The goal is to speed up development of treatments for severe autoimmune diseases. Hansa's lead product imlifidase is sold in Europe as Idefirix and is under FDA review with a December decision date. Cradle says its platform can cut development timelines by up to 18 months.

Asset managers expect AI to drive higher returns and reshape their work

A survey of asset managers found that 56 percent believe AI will help achieve higher alpha. Nearly all, or 95 percent, think AI will be important for meeting investment goals over the next three years. About 43 percent already use AI-generated analysis for investment decisions between a quarter and half the time. Almost all respondents expect AI to change how work is done across their business functions.

Ukrainian AI start-up Osavul raises €8.5 million in Series A funding

Osavul, a Ukrainian AI company that detects cyberattacks, raised €8.5 million in a Series A round. The round was led by 33N Ventures and included Balnord, Giesecke+Devrient Ventures, and 42CAP. Total funding now exceeds €12 million. The company was founded in 2022 by Dmytro Bilash and Dmytro Pleshakov, and its solutions have been deployed in over 50 instances across more than 10 countries.

OpenAI CEO says company will keep lowering AI prices at DevDay

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company will continue making AI better and cheaper. At DevDay, OpenAI launched GPT-6.1 Sol at $2 per million tokens, one-fifth the price of GPT-6 Astra. The company also announced Codex in the cloud and new APIs for agentic workflows. Altman said OpenAI has 1.2 billion weekly users and wants to build an ecosystem connecting customers across partner products.

Stolen Nvidia truck full of sand highlights growing AI cargo theft problem

Thieves stole two trailers from PlusAI's warehouse in Fremont, California, including one carrying 20,000 pounds of sand. The company uses sand to simulate real freight for testing self-driving technology. Cargo theft targeting AI companies is rising as worldwide AI spending grows. Overhaul, a supply chain risk firm, uses AI to track cargo and has recorded 250 million added monthly tracking data points to combat the problem.

Delivery Robots Roll Through Jersey City Sidewalks

Robots from Coco Robotics and Avride now deliver food across Jersey City. The robots are about the size of a large cooler and work with apps like Grubhub and Uber Eats. One robot froze when a car blocked its path but resumed after it moved. A customer named Ken Reyes picked up a hot chicken cutlet sandwich and noted the robot delivery did not require a tip.

New Method Steers AI Values Without Harming Meaning

Researchers introduced a one-way mixing method for steering values in large language models like LLaMA-3.1-8B. The approach edits only the value code while keeping the semantic code fixed. It improves semantic preservation and reduces benign refusals compared to conventional activation edits. The method achieved comparable alignment scores and fewer contradictions in testing.

Retail Investors Favor Big Tech AI Spending

A global survey of 11,000 retail investors in 13 countries found that 38% are more likely to invest in the Magnificent 7 companies due to heavy AI spending. The Magnificent 7 includes Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia and Tesla. Romanian investors showed even stronger support, with 51% more likely to invest. However, expectations for broader AI stocks became more measured, with investors shifting focus from promise to proof.

Sources

• ONDS, AVAV, KTOS, RCAT, UMAC Stocks Rise Overnight: Pentagon Maps Out AI-Driven Defense Shift With Autonomous Warfare Command
• 3 US Defense Stocks Riding The Push Into Drones And Autonomous Warfare
• ONDS, AVAV, KTOS, RCAT, UMAC Stocks Rise Overnight: Pentagon Maps Out AI-Driven Defense Shift With Autonomous Warfare Command
• The Best IPO to Buy in 2026 Isn't What You Think. I'm Betting on CoreWeave.
• The Best IPO to Buy in 2026 Isn't What You Think. I'm Betting on CoreWeave.
• Hansa will use AI to design potential treatments for severe autoimmune diseases
• AI Will Generate Higher Alpha and Assist Asset Managers to Achieve Their Investment Goals
• Ukrainian AI start-up Osavul has raised €8.5 million in investment
• OpenAI CEO makes bold call on AI pricing at annual developer day
• Thieves stole an Nvidia-branded truck filled with just 20,000 pounds of sand—and it points to Big Tech’s $150 million AI hardware theft headache
• Cute Delivery Robots Have Invaded New Jersey. Not Everyone Is Charmed.
• Values as Style: Disentangling Values from Semantics with One-Way Mixing for Low-Damage LLM Steering
• Retail investors back Big Tech’s AI spending, but are more selective about which AI stocks they favor