According to a forum of Android modders, as pointed out by MobileCrunch, the Droid X is locked down with an authentication chip called an eFuse. Even if you aren't a hardcore techie, you can grasp what it does.

The eFuse is there to verify what's called a bootloader—the very first process to load filled with important stuff encompassing the core software of the phone, like firmware. And if the eFuse doesn't see specific, pre-programmed code within Motorola's guidelines, it will essentially short out and the Droid X will cease to function at all. (To resuscitate the phone, you'd need specialized hardware only found at Motorola.)