The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in partnership with Zhejiang Lab and leading global collaborators, has officially launched the 2026 AI and Space Computing Challenge, an international competition designed to harness the power of space computing and artificial intelligence to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental and developmental challenges. Applications are now open and will remain so until 30 January 2026.
At its core, the challenge positions itself as a global technology exchange platform focused on “space computing + AI + sustainable human development.” By blending satellite data, advanced machine learning, and earth observation computing systems, the initiative invites researchers and innovators to explore solutions that can support more reliable food systems, cleaner water resources, and more resilient urban environments.
Space computing offers a unique vantage point for understanding large-scale changes on Earth, from crop cycles to water quality, heat distribution, and environmental risks. By integrating AI into that equation, the challenge aims to accelerate insight generation and enable solutions that can be deployed quickly and at scale.
This year’s competition is structured around three globally critical themes:
- Food production, focusing on crop classification and yield estimation
- Water quality, evaluating turbidity levels and sediment concentration
- Resilient urban environments, assessing Urban Heat Islands and land surface temperature
These themes reflect the urgent need for intelligent, data-driven decision-making in a world increasingly shaped by climate change, rapid urbanization, and resource constraints.
The challenge is open to researchers, industry teams, developers, and academic groups worldwide. All submitted work must be original, and intellectual property remains entirely with the teams who create it. Clear rules ensure fairness, prohibit cheating and unauthorized code sharing, and outline strict compliance with national and international legal frameworks.
Beyond technical capabilities, the competition encourages interdisciplinary thinking, inviting diverse perspectives from data science, environmental engineering, business, and policy.
A Year-Long Innovation Journey
The challenge unfolds across several stages, guiding participants from initial registration to global recognition:
- Registration runs until 30 January 2026
- Preliminary model submissions will be evaluated in February
- Semi-finalists will be announced in March after technical review
- Final proposals will be assessed in April
- Winners will be celebrated during the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, 7 – 10 July 2026
The competition features a total prize pool of CHF 39,000, distributed across Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Innovation Awards. The strongest teams in each track will receive financial recognition for excellence in both algorithmic performance and solution design.
But the most distinctive reward goes far beyond funding. Winning teams will have the opportunity to validate their algorithms in orbit, supported end-to-end by Zhejiang Lab. This transforms innovative prototypes into real, deployable space solutions, an opportunity rarely available to early-stage researchers or young technologists.
The challenge is co-hosted by the ITU and Zhejiang Lab, with organizational support from CBAS, CAICT, and the Zhijiang Development Foundation. Oversight is provided by an ITU-chaired organizing committee, while a judging panel of 12–15 international experts.
