AI-based Hardware Attacks (AHA!) Challenge
Use LLMs to insert stealthy Trojans and to hunt them down!
The AI-based Hardware Attacks (AHA!) Challenge is a hands-on Hardware Hacking Competition at IEEE HOST 2026 that explores the emerging role of Large Language Models (LLMs) in both attacking and defending hardware systems.
This competition follows a red-team / blue-team format centered on hardware Trojans:
- Red Teams will use LLMs to design and insert stealthy Trojans into small benchmark circuits.
- Blue Teams will leverage LLMs and analysis tools to detect, localize, and reason about these malicious modifications.
Registration is now open!
Interested participants are invited to sign up using the registration form below. More details about rules, benchmarks, evaluation criteria, and timelines will be released soon.
Link to the Registration Form: https://forms.gle/vMmvr9WCqgkrUnUo8
Link to the Discord Channel: Coming Soon
Contact Information
Lead Organizing Team:
Jason Blocklove, New York University – [email protected]
Weihua Xiao, New York University – [email protected]
Ramesh Karri, New York University – [email protected]
Hardware Hacking Competition Co-Chairs:
Kanad Basu, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – [email protected]
Soheil Salehi, University of Arizona – [email protected]