Proposers Day: AMPED 2026

DARPA will host an in-person, Proposers Day for AMPED on May 13, 2026, at the DARPA Conference Center (DCC), Arlington, Va. The Area-Multiplied Photonic-crystal Enhanced Devices (AMPED) program aims to establish a new class of high-power semiconductor lasers by overcoming fundamental scaling limitations through novel photonic-crystal structures. The program seeks to demonstrate single-mode, diffraction-limited, continuous-wave laser devices capable of high power with low size-weight-and-power (SWaP) characteristics for Department of War and commercial applications. The Proposers Day will include overview presentations by government personnel and opportunities for team building among the participants. The meeting will start with presentations by DARPA, including a technical briefing and a contracting discussion to further describe the planned PS objectives and content. These will be followed by a Q&A session, a poster session, and breakout meetings with the Program Manager. Attendance is restricted to U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents.