Dassault Aviation and Ile-de-France Region have kicked off the Paris Region Challenge AI for Industry 2020 competition, which this year focuses on ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve Falcon business jet maintenance and fuel efficiency. Under the competition, Dassault provides the scientific topic, technical data samples, engineers, and data scientists to assist competing teams based in the region, as well as participate in the judging.

This year’s challenge involves using AI algorithms to develop virtual sensors capable of estimating local stress experienced by a Falcon jet using only aircraft instruments. The French airframer hopes the competition will serve to optimize Falcon maintenance programs and further development of lighter, fuel-efficient structures.

“The competitors will process real industrial data, which is unusual in this kind of competition,” said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “On top of the scientific aspects, the topic includes a real economic and environmental dimension, both for aviation and other areas of industry such as transport and energy.”

Competing teams will comprise start-up companies and laboratories in and around Paris, about 10 of which will be selected by a panel of judges to submit a processing methodology based on the provided data. The winner will be offered a collaborative project with Dassault lasting 12 to 18 months, while the Region will award it €500,000 ($595,615) to support the project.