AI competition starts Feb with 5m yuan in total awards

A global artificial intelligence competition, with a total of 5 million yuan ($781,100) in prize money, will kick off in February.

The event, named 2018 China International Big Data Fusion Innovation & Artificial Intelligence Global Competition, was organized by the committee of China International Big Data Industry Expo and technology companies including Intel (China) Co.

Registration will open Feb 10. Six selection trials will take place in China, the United States and Israel. Semifinal and final competitions are slated for late May 2018 in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province.

Winners could exhibit their products or services at the big-data expo, and are eligible to apply for policy and capital support, according to the committee. This year's big-data expo will be held in May in Guiyang.

An online platform for AI innovations was also launched Friday.

Wang Peng, vice-president of the Chinese research firm CCID Consulting Co, said at the launch ceremony: "The AI competition and platform will inject vitality to the industry, and help make substantial progress."