UIDAI, IIIT-Hyderabad launch biometric challenge, offers Rs 7.7 lakh worth prize

UIDAI in collaboration with IIIT-Hyderabad has launched a large-scale competition to test fingerprint-based authentication solutions in biometric algorithms, said the Ministry of Electronics and IT

New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in collaboration with IIIT-Hyderabad has launched a large-scale competition to test fingerprint-based authentication solutions in biometric algorithms, said the Ministry of Electronics and IT.

The competition invites global researchers and developers to enhance their biometric models using UIDAI’s unique, field-collected dataset to improve accuracy in real-world conditions.

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The first phase of the Biometric SDK Benchmarking challenge focuses on fingerprint authentication. It calls for testing 1:1 matching algorithms for children aged 5-10 years, with updates after 5-10 years.

The competition will enable the participants to understand the performance of their algorithms — evaluated against a large anonymised biometric dataset within a secured UIDAI sandbox. “UIDAI ensures that participant submissions are evaluated securely, with anonymised datasets and no sharing of data with participants,” the Ministry said.

“The challenge offers prizes worth Rs 7.7 lakhs ($9,000) and the opportunity to collaborate with UIDAI in advancing biometric technologies,” it added. The challenge, which began on March 25, will run till May 25. Those willing to participate can register themselves on the UIDAI website.

The Ministry said that after the fingerprint challenge, UIDAI will also launch SDK benchmarking competitions for iris and face authentication.

“The SDK benchmarking competition, organised by UIDAI and IIIT-H, assesses the effectiveness of biometric verification and authentication SDKs. It provides a platform for researchers and industry leaders to evaluate their SDKs’ computational power and efficiency,” UIDAI said.

“With a large dataset of real-world biometric data, encompassing diverse geographies and demographics in India, the competition ensures algorithm testing across various challenges and generalisability to real-world scenarios. Developers can identify areas for improvement, and benefit from understanding their performances with peers by participating in the competition,” it added.

Aadhaar serves as a key pillar of good governance and digital inclusion in India. Aadhaar number holders carry out nearly 90 million authentication transactions daily to avail themselves of various services and benefits.