(Photo: The 4th Pazhou Algorithm Competition)
The finals of the 4th Pazhou Algorithm Competition and an accompanying ecological empowerment conference will take place in Guangzhou, the capital city of South China's Guangdong Province, on September 22-23.
Launched in April, the event has already completed its preliminary and semi-final rounds, attracting more than 8,100 participants from over 30 countries and regions, including Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The competition, often described as the "Canton Fair of AI," aims to accelerate the transition of artificial intelligence from laboratory research to real-world applications.
Contestants range from students and researchers at leading universities such as MIT and Harvard to R&D teams from major global tech companies.
"The competition has become an important platform for Guangzhou to advance AI innovation," an organizing committee spokesperson said. "By bringing together global algorithm talent, we aim to empower digital transformation across industries."
This year's competition features five tracks: the "Air-Ground" Integrated Collaboration AI Competition, the Large-scale AI Model Algorithm Optimization Competition, the AI Innovation Application Competition, the "National Games" AI Competition for All, and the International AI Competition. Topics include algorithm design, transportation, healthcare, fintech, and energy management.
Organizers are offering multimillion-yuan incentives to encourage participation. Awards include 50,000 yuan (about 7,029 USD) for the champion of the "Air-Ground" Integrated Collaboration AI Competition and 100,000 yuan (about 14,058 USD) each for winners of the Large-scale AI Model Algorithm Optimization and AI Innovation Application categories.
Participants will also have access to data and computing coupons worth millions of yuan and may qualify for project funding through the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area AI Empowerment Fund.
"As computing power is essentially the core means of production in AI, both funding and compute access are critical for start-ups," said He Wengang, General Manager of PCI Technology, one of the challenge-setting companies. "This competition directly addresses those pain points, helping AI move more quickly from research to application."
Reporter | Liu Xiaodi
Correspondent | Zhong Yichong
Editor | Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
