UIDAI Partners with IIIT-Hyderabad to Launch Biometric SDK Benchmarking Challenge
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), in collaboration with IIIT-Hyderabad, has launched a large-scale competition aimed at improving fingerprint-based authentication solutions for biometric algorithms. This initiative, announced by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, invites global researchers and developers to enhance their biometric models using UIDAI’s unique field-collected dataset to improve real-world accuracy.
The first phase of the Biometric SDK Benchmarking Challenge focuses specifically on fingerprint authentication, with an emphasis on 1:1 matching algorithms for children aged 5-10 years, along with updates for the same group after 5-10 years. Participants in the competition will have the opportunity to evaluate their algorithms against a large anonymized biometric dataset within a secure UIDAI sandbox.
“UIDAI ensures that participant submissions are evaluated securely, with anonymized datasets and no sharing of data with participants,” the Ministry said in a statement.
The competition, which began on March 25, offers prizes worth Rs 7.7 lakh ($9,000) and the chance for winners to collaborate with UIDAI in advancing biometric technologies. The challenge will run until May 25, and interested participants can register through the UIDAI website.
The Ministry also noted that after the fingerprint challenge, UIDAI plans to launch SDK benchmarking competitions for iris and face authentication. These challenges will assess the effectiveness of biometric verification and authentication SDKs, providing researchers and industry leaders with a platform to test their computational power and efficiency.
With a vast dataset of real-world biometric data from diverse geographies and demographics in India, the competition aims to address various challenges and improve the generalisability of biometric solutions for real-world applications. Developers participating in the competition can identify areas for improvement while engaging with peers to better understand their algorithm performances.
Aadhaar, India’s flagship biometric-based identity system, is a critical pillar of good governance and digital inclusion. Currently, Aadhaar holders perform nearly 90 million authentication transactions daily to access a range of services and benefits.
