Boston-Based Code Metal Hosts Hackathon for United States Special Operations Command

Professionals and Students in IoT, RF, AI, and Cybersecurity to Address Real-World Smart City Challenges in Three-Day Event

Code Metal, the leading company in AI-powered development workflows for the edge, has announced it will be hosting the Metal Ops: Smart City Hackathon in downtown Boston from March 14 - 16, 2025. The Hackathon will focus on smart city operations for special missions as participants develop innovative solutions that leverage existing urban infrastructure, like IoT sensors and traffic cameras, to improve security, resilience, and operational readiness in urban environments for the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Additional participating organizations include the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Army, Army Research Labs, Navy, Air Force, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of the Air Force MIT AI Accelerator, Harvard, Northeastern, WPI, the City of Boston, and several of Boston’s Deep Tech Industry pioneers.

Participants will work to design innovative methods to shield personnel from unauthorized remote sensing and tracking while maintaining their ability to effectively communicate and coordinate during operations. Teams of 3 - 5 will create algorithms to identify and analyze patterns in urban data streams - such as cellular networks or other RF activity - to enhance response capabilities without compromising operational security. Judges will be looking to teams to engineer dual-use applications that can transform common smart city technologies - like public WiFi, traffic management systems, or environmental sensors - into tactical advantages for special operations while ensuring these systems remain resistant to adversarial exploitation.

Speakers for the event include:

• Leadership from the City of Boston, who will be speaking on Friday evening
• Christine Keung, General Partner at J2 Ventures and Former Chief Data Officer for the City of San Jose, who will be moderating on Friday evening
• Eric Rosenbach, the Former Pentagon Chief of Staff and the Director of the Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, who will be providing the Keynote on Friday evening

Teams will have the opportunity to secure funding to advance their projects, connect with potential investors and government customers, and gain insights from mentors and expert speakers from Boston's local government, industry, and academia.

“METAL OPS is a catalyst for urban innovation,” said Peter Morales, CEO of Code Metal. “By bringing together Boston’s top engineering talent with USSOCOM, we’re showcasing our city’s technological prowess while creating solutions that could redefine smart city operations globally. This event represents our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in urban infrastructure and defense technology.”

“Boston has long been a hub of innovation, and the City’s sponsorship of the Metal Ops: Smart City Hackathon exemplifies our commitment to fostering cutting-edge solutions that benefit both urban communities and national security,” said Christine Keung, General Partner at J2 Ventures and Former Chief Data Officer for the City of San Jose.

Code Metal will provide food, expert mentorship, and hardware, which includes microcontrollers (esp32, Raspberry Pi Pico), microprocessing units (Raspberry Pi, Jetson Orin Nano), SDRs with SoCs/FPGAs, sensors, and wired cameras. In addition to swag bags, Code Metal will be offering prizes for 1st place ($10,000), 2nd place ($4,000), and 2nd runner-up ($2,000).

Participants who are interested in joining the hackathon must register in teams of 3-5 through the MetalOps: Smart City Hackathon event page.

About Code Metal

Code Metal is the leading company for AI-powered development workflows at the edge. Drawing on years of experience from leading AI labs at MIT and industry giants like Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, the Code Metal team has mastered the science of translating sophisticated research algorithms for cutting-edge platforms, from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the Microsoft HoloLens. Now, Code Metal is bringing its algorithmic breakthroughs to hardware applications to accelerate development at the edge. Code Metal is backed by Shield Capital, J2 Ventures, and others. Learn more at https://www.codemetal.ai/.

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