What International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) does

IOAI (International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence) is a Bulgaria-domiciled non-profit organization founded in 2024 that operates the world's first and only International Science Olympiad dedicated to AI for high school students. It hosts an annual in-person competition week (Bulgaria 2024, Beijing 2025, Astana/Kazakhstan 2026, Singapore 2027) under UNESCO patronage, comprising an Individual Contest (on-demand GPU/LLM via the Bohrium Platform by DP Technology, including pre-configured ChatGPT 4o-level model access), a Team Challenge (simulation in IOAI Lab followed by deployment to physical Galbot embodied robots), and an AI Model Track introduced for 2026. The organization distributes through a three-tier ecosystem: National AI Olympiads (NOAIs) in 131 accredited countries following a four-phase Ignite/Orient/Advance/Immerse framework, four Regional Olympiads (AOAI in Africa, APOAI in Asia-Pacific, EOAI in Europe debuting 2027, Americas OAI in development), and the global event itself.

The business model combines country registration fees (required to access IOAI Workshop and the At-Home Round platform) with multi-tier corporate sponsorship across Global Diamond (IMC, Jane Street), Global Platinum (Google), Local Platinum (Huawei), Host/General Partner (Kaspi.kz), and technology partnerships (DP Technology, Galbot, Volcano Engine, DeepInfra, MBZUAI). The GAITE (Global AI Talent Empowerment) initiative extends Financial Aid to countries with limited ISO history, supporting 40 delegations for IOAI 2026 versus 15+ in 2025. Governance rests on an International Board chaired by cofounder Elena Marinova and an International Scientific Committee drawing on MIT, Oxford, University of Copenhagen, and MBZUAI; the core staff of 12 is supplemented by national organizing committees and an ecosystem of regional and technology partners.

Name

International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI)

Legal name

International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence

Website

https://ioai-official.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IOAI is a non-profit International Science Olympiad founded in 2024 that hosts the annual global AI competition for high school students across 131 accredited countries, operating under UNESCO patronage through a network of National and Regional Olympiads with revenue from country fees and corporate sponsorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Education Competitions

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Olympiads & Subject Competitions (Science, Math, Informatics) (EDAMAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI & Machine Learning (Foundations & Applied) (EDAMACAG), AI & Machine Learning for Robotics Programs (EDAMADAK)

Keywords

• AI olympiad competition
• Youth AI education
• Science olympiad organization
• AI competition platform
• STEM talent programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Astana (Nur-Sultan)

HQ country

Kazakhstan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Country Registration Fees: IOAI charges registration fees to participating countries and territories. Only countries that have completed registration fee payment can access the IOAI Workshop and other preparation resources. Fees fund event operations, platform infrastructure, and contest logistics.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Technology companies, financial firms, and AI institutions provide sponsorship across multiple tiers (Global Diamond, Global Platinum, Local Platinum, Local Silver, etc.). Sponsors include IMC, Jane Street, Google, MBZUAI, Huawei, Kaspi.kz, Galbot, DeepInfra, Volcano Engine, DP Technology, NetEase Youdao, and others.
3. UNESCO Patronage: IOAI 2026 held under UNESCO patronage, conferring international legitimacy and enabling access to UNESCO's network and resources for global AI education outreach.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IOAI organizes the annual International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence for high school students, an in-person competition week comprising an Individual Contest (machine learning, NLP, computer vision, multimodal AI) and a Team Challenge (simulation-to-physical-robot deployment on GALBOT). Around the flagship event it operates a tiered ecosystem: National Olympiads (NOAIs), four Regional Olympiads (AOAI, APOAI, EOAI, Americas OAI), the GAITE equity initiative for emerging nations, and the Education Hub and GitHub Task Repository for preparation.

Product overview

IOAI (International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence) operates as the primary annual competition—a unified global olympiad for high school students—with supporting sub-products including the GAITE initiative for emerging nations, Regional Olympiads (AOAI, APOAI, EOAI, Americas OAI) for continental qualifiers, National Olympiads (NOAI) for country-level selection, the IOAI Lab platform for team challenges, and the Education Hub for preparation resources. The portfolio spans from grassroots national competitions through regional qualifiers to the flagship international event, connected through shared syllabus standards, task repositories, and the IOAI Task Repository on GitHub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI) Annual Competition Annual in-person competition week for high school students in artificial intelligence, featuring an Individual Contest (machine learning, NLP, computer vision, multimodal AI) and a Team Challenge combining simulation with physical GALBOT robot deployment, accompanied by academic lectures, ethics modules, and cultural programs.
• GAITE (Global AI Talent Empowerment) Initiative Equity initiative providing educational resources, adapted competition formats, guidance for establishing national selection systems, and Financial Aid to underrepresented countries; supported 15+ delegations in 2025 and 40 in 2026.
• Regional Olympiads in AI Four continental competitions (AOAI, APOAI, EOAI, Americas OAI) that organize regional qualifiers funneling top performers toward the global IOAI, including subregional competitions such as NEOAI, CEOAI, USAAIO, and MAIO.
• National Olympiad in AI (NOAI) Framework Standardized four-phase country-level qualifying framework (Ignite, Orient, Advance, Immerse) for countries establishing National AI Olympiads to select and prepare IOAI delegations; supported by the EduSpace digital platform.
• IOAI Lab Platform Simulation environment supporting the Team Challenge (Future Factory), enabling student teams to complete full-cycle development (task analysis, algorithm design, programming) before deploying code to physical GALBOT robots for live validation.
• IOAI Education Hub Resource center providing IOAI tasks, educational materials, and content contributed by countries and Regional Olympiads worldwide for competition preparation and curriculum support.
• IOAI AI Model Track Track within IOAI focused on AI model development and evaluation, with dedicated rules, format guidelines, and FAQ resources for participants in IOAI 2026.
• IOAI Task Repository GitHub-based repository containing tasks from all previous IOAI editions, enabling countries to access past competition problems for preparation and training.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• European Olympiad in AI (EOAI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 July 2027EOAI is the official Regional Olympiad for Europe, with its first edition scheduled for 2027 in Serbia. Serbia was selected as the host through a competitive process. CEOAI (Central European OAI) held its finals in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in July 2026 as a subregional precursor.
• GalbotcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 August 2026Galbot exclusively supported the Team Challenge (Future Factory) at IOAI 2025 and IOAI 2026. Teams complete simulation rounds on Galbot's platform before deploying code to physical Galbot embodied robots for live validation. Galbot is both a Global Platinum Sponsor and Technology Partner, having co-established an AI laboratory with IOAI China through the AI Education Co-construction Program.
• LateranAImajorTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2026LateranAI is endorsed by the IOAI Board for competition integrity monitoring. Co-founded by Wang Zerui, a Gold Medalist at IOAI 2024 and Silver Medalist at IOAI 2025, the platform records competition sessions and analyzes screen activity to flag potential misconduct for review. Deployed across 2,000+ students in 10 competition rounds including USAAIO and USA Cybersecurity Olympiad. IOAI is introducing the LateranAI team to IOAI 2027 host Singapore and APOAI is discussing future cooperation.
• Asia Pacific Olympiad in AI (APOAI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 June 2026APOAI is the official Regional Olympiad for Asia Pacific, operating under IOAI. The 2026 finals were held in hybrid format (June 13–20, 2026). Yong Mao serves as contact person. APOAI is in discussions with LateranAI for competition integrity solutions.
• Northern Eurasian Olympiad in AI (NEOAI)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2026NEOAI is a subregional competition for Northern Eurasia, organized by Central University and AI Alliance. The 2025 edition (May 6–11) had 89 participants from Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The 2026 edition is expected in May 2026 (approximately 2–8 May) with online and offline participation.
• Harvard UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Harvard University hosted USAAIO Round 2 (April 2026) and provided admissions programming and campus experience sessions. Prof. Haribabu Arthanari and Prof. Michael Brenner (also Google) delivered plenary talks. Harvard Medical School also supported the event.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026MIT hosted USAAIO Round 2 (April 2026) including the second competition day and closing session. MIT Admissions organized an official information session and campus tour for participants. The Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI) organized a panel on cutting-edge AI research. USAAIO Round 2 was held in MIT's campus.
• African Olympiad in AI (AOAI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2026AOAI is the official Regional Olympiad for Africa, operating under IOAI supervision. AOAI 2026 is hosted in Sousse, Tunisia (April 9–12, 2026) as a hybrid event serving as African qualifiers for IOAI. AOAI is free for online participants. The African OAI Board is chaired by Grace Muthoni Kaimburi (Kenya).
• USA–North America AI Olympiad (USAAIO)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 April 2026USAAIO is the North American qualifier for IOAI. Round 1 is open to all K-12 students in the US and US citizens abroad. Round 2 is held at Harvard and MIT. Round 3 is a training camp. 8 contestants are selected to represent the US at IOAI. USAAIO will continue using LateranAI in 2027.
• DP Technology (AI Education Co-construction Program)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025DP Technology signed an agreement with IOAI China for joint development of an AI competition and education platform. DP Technology also delivered a hands-on workshop during the 3rd IOAI China AI Education Symposium in December 2025.
• Xi'an Jiaotong–Liverpool UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Xi'an Jiaotong–Liverpool University signed a cooperation agreement with IOAI China to explore integrated talent development pathways through the AI Education Co-construction Program.
• Beijing National Day SchoolcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2025Beijing National Day School (BNDS) was the primary host venue for IOAI 2025 in Beijing. BNDS students performed cultural programs at opening and closing ceremonies, and BNDS teachers served on the IOAI International Scientific Committee. Principal Tian Jun received the IOAI Outstanding Contribution Award. BNDS also co-designed the Z-Loong mascot and IOAI 2025 medal.
• Beijing Normal UniversitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2025Beijing Normal University co-hosted IOAI 2025 alongside Beijing National Day School and ITCCC, contributing academic credibility and institutional support to the event.
• ITCCC Innovative EducationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2025ITCCC (International Technology and Culture Exchange Center) co-hosted IOAI 2025 alongside Beijing National Day School and Beijing Normal University, providing operational and cultural exchange support.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025UNESCO granted official patronage to IOAI 2026 and 2025. IOAI has initiated collaboration with UNESCO's Ethics in AI team, including an Ethics in AI lecture at AOAI 2026, a dedicated AI Ethics lecture at IOAI 2026, joint development of an Ethics in AI module for national selection rounds, and collaboration with UNESCO–Uzbekistan Beruniy Prize laureates.
• DP TechnologycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 August 2025DP Technology provided the Bohrium Platform as the exclusive support platform for the IOAI 2025 Individual Contest. Bohrium enables on-demand GPU computing triggers and hosts the pre-configured ChatGPT 4o-level LLM for contestants. Bohrium accounts with sufficient GPU access were issued to all participating teams. DP Technology also co-developed an AI competition and education platform through the AI Education Co-construction Program.
• Volcano EnginemajorTechnology or Integration · 1 August 2025Volcano Engine (by ByteDance) provided cloud computing power for the IOAI 2025 Individual Contest, supporting over 380 L4 computing cards deployed across the cluster. The platform enabled real-time resource allocation and handled peak concurrency of 220 requests with a maximum waiting queue of 180.
• Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025MBZUAI was the original planned host for IOAI 2026 (later relocated to Kazakhstan) and is a Global Gold Sponsor. MBZUAI established a university application fast-track for outstanding IOAI participants through the AI Education Co-construction Program. MBZUAI contributed academic expertise to IOAI's foundational development alongside MIT, Oxford, and University of Copenhagen.
• DeepInframajorTechnology or Integration · 1 August 2025DeepInfra is listed as a Technology Partner and Local Silver Sponsor of IOAI 2026, providing AI infrastructure support for the competition.
• Zhongguancun Academy / Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Zhongguancun Academy and BAAI provided academic guidance for IOAI 2025. BAAI Chairman Dr. Zhang Linfeng delivered the keynote speech at the closing ceremony. BAAI/Beijing Institute of Science and Intelligence served as academic advisors.
• Beijing Municipal Education Commission and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025These Beijing municipal government bodies provided institutional support and endorsement for IOAI 2025, with Haidian District Government serving as a key local government partner.
• AI Singapore / Nanyang Technological University (NTU)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2025AI Singapore, in partnership with NTU and supported by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Digital Development and Information, organized Singapore's first National AI Olympiad (NOAI 2025). Over 100 students competed at NTU's College of Computing and Data Science. Top 60 performers entered the intensive training and selection program for IOAI 2025.
• Beijing New Talent SchoolcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 June 2025Beijing New Talent School hosted the 2025 NOAI China Finals on June 2, 2025, with over 160 contestants competing. The event was fully synchronized with IOAI 2025's platform and format, serving as an official rehearsal for the international competition. It was the world's first large-scale high-concurrency AI competition for middle school students featuring live training + testing.
• University of Bucharest / Faculty of Mathematics & Computer SciencecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 May 2025The University of Bucharest hosted Romania's first government-supported ONIA (National AI Olympiad) in May 2025, with PhD students and teaching assistants delivering hands-on workshops. The Faculty served as the primary academic partner for Romania's national selection process.
• Information Technology School (ITS), SerbiacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 March 2025ITS in Belgrade hosted Serbia's NOAI Super Finals in June 2025, with over 320 contestants competing. The school provided venue, infrastructure, and organizational support for the national selection, which selected 4 students for IOAI 2025.
• Competitive Programming Federation of Kazakhstan (CPFED)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 August 2024CPFED is the local host organization for IOAI 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Established as a republican public association dedicated to competitive programming development in Kazakhstan, CPFED works with educational institutions, industry experts, and the IT community. Has previously hosted major international Olympiads including IChO, IBO, and ICPC World Finals. CPFED Chair is Bagdat Mussin and General Secretary is Danabek Kaliazhdarov.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USA Computing Olympiad (USACO): The U.S. national informatics competition pipeline that selects the USA IOI team. USAAIO has explicitly modeled itself after USACO for AI, making USACO a close structural peer for the national-selection leg of IOAI's funnel.
• International Biology Olympiad (IBO): International Science Olympiad for high-school biology. Same annual country-team format and governance approach as IOAI; one of the four established peers IOAI explicitly benchmarks itself against.
• International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO): International Science Olympiad for high-school chemistry with identical structure to IOAI (annual global event, country accreditation, national selection rounds). IChO has been hosted by CPFED in Kazakhstan, illustrating the shared host ecosystem.
• International Physics Olympiad (IPhO): Foundational International Science Olympiad for high-school physics. Same annual in-person country-team structure, similar governance model, and direct comparator for IOAI's positioning within the ISO family.
• International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI): The premier International Science Olympiad for high-school computer science / informatics. IOI is the most directly comparable peer — same olympiad family, same country-team format, same NOI → regional → global pipeline — and IOAI effectively sits next to IOI in the ISO hierarchy.
• International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO): The oldest and most prestigious International Science Olympiad for high-school mathematics. Sets the governance, accreditation, and country-selection template that IOAI's NOAI framework mirrors.

Emerging players

• AI4ALL: Non-profit focused on inclusive AI education and talent pipelines for underrepresented groups. Shares IOAI's mission of broadening access to AI education (similar to GAITE) but operates through year-round programs rather than an annual olympiad.
• Brilliant: Interactive STEM and AI education platform with built-in competitions and learning paths. Targets a similar self-directed learner audience but focuses on day-to-day learning versus IOAI's once-a-year high-stakes competition format.

Broad incumbents

• Kaggle: The largest global AI/ML competition platform. Operates a much broader, year-round competition model versus IOAI's annual youth-focused event; competes for AI talent mindshare but targets professionals and data scientists rather than high schoolers.
• NeurIPS Competitions: Premier AI research conference hosting major ML competitions. Overlaps with IOAI in the AI competition category but serves academic/professional researchers rather than high-school students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/ioai-official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-olympiad-in-artificial-intelligence-ioai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI)