A technology and innovation competition geared towards boosting artificial intelligence development kicked off in Shanghai on July 3.

Dubbed the 2025 Inclusion Conference on the Bund AI Innovation Competition, it focuses on smart hardware, financial intelligence and AI security.

Organized under the guidance of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the competition features three tracks: the AI Hardware Innovation Contest, the Advanced Fintech AI Challenge (AFAC), and the 2025 Global AI Defense Challenge.

Zhai Jinguo, deputy director of the commission, hoped the event would bridge the gap between industry demands and global talent, fostering innovation and addressing critical challenges.

This year marks the inaugural AI Hardware Innovation Contest, centered on the theme "AI Entering Life." The new segment seeks to redefine daily life through the combination of AI and hardware by linking developers with specialized institutions and investment capital, uncovering viable AI hardware products.

The competition sustains its commitment to financial intelligence and AI security with the AFAC contest, which provides challenge and startup teams with a 1-million-yuan ($139,517) prize pool and industry data.

In addition, the Global AI Defense Challenge targets the security of digital identities and AI-driven authentication across sectors such as finance, healthcare, and daily life.

The Inclusion Conference on the Bund will be held in Shanghai from Sept 10 to 13. The previous AI Innovation Competition saw participation from over 7,000 teams and almost 10,000 individuals from more than 20 countries and regions, representing institutions from Peking University to Microsoft.

Luo Bin contributed to this story.