DARPA’s name reflects an enduring mission and a focus on the future

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has renamed two of its technical offices, a move the agency says reflects a broader strategic shift in how it pursues emerging technologies for national security. Effective May 20, the Information Innovation Office (I2O) reverts to its historic name, the Information Processing Techniques Office (IPTO), and the Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) becomes the Multi X Office (MXO).

The MXO label is intended to signal a transition from advancing individual components to shaping integrated, multidisciplinary capabilities. The office’s portfolio now stretches from materials discovery at the atomic and molecular scale to the development of components, tools, processes, and architectures that connect and operationalize technologies across missions and domains.

“Future advantage will depend on more than advancing individual technologies in isolation: a more integrated, multidisciplinary approach is necessary,” said Whitney Mason, director of MXO. “While our scope has expanded, at our core we remain the office of tiny things with huge impact. The ‘X’ in our name is a multiplier across scale, discipline, and operational effect. We are investing in foundational and often unconventional science and engineering to create disruptive new capabilities.”

IPTO’s return brings back a name long associated with some of DARPA’s most consequential investments, including the early foundations of modern computing and networking. The office will continue to drive advances in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and privacy while emphasizing the understanding and resilience of complex systems. That includes work to analyze and shore up critical, interdependent “megasystems” such as supply chains and power grids.

“The IPTO name reflects our focus on the first principles of computational power and resiliency that will be required to invent the next forward-looking breakthrough technologies for national security,” said Patrick Lincoln, director of the Information Processing Techniques Office. “In an era of rapid AI advancement and sophisticated information competition, the fundamental techniques of information processing are more critical than ever. We’re building on the legacy of the original IPTO to solve the defining challenges of the future.”

DARPA is directing prospective performers and partners to a new MXO officewide broad agency announcement on SAM.gov and to office pages at darpa.mil/mxo and darpa.mil/about/offices/ipto for priorities and participation details. The agency also released a Voices from DARPA podcast episode exploring the name changes and is launching the MXO Forward Dispatch newsletter for updates.