China News Service, Guangzhou, September 15 (Reporter Guo Jun) As an important part of the 2026 Guangdong Province Cyber Security Publicity Week series of activities, the finals of the second "Bay Area Cup" Cyber Security Competition were held on the 14th at the South China University of Technology (Guangzhou International Campus) Gymnasium. This competition focuses on two major directions: network security actual combat and AI security frontier. 150 teams and 450 contestants participated in the finals on-site. The competition lasted for 6.5 hours. The contestants' offense and defense were not interrupted, fully testing the endurance and technical level of actual combat.
As one of the highest-level cybersecurity competitions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the second "Bay Area Cup" cybersecurity competition is unprecedented in scale, attracting a total of 5,348 teams and 14,701 contestants from across the country to sign up. The competition is guided by the Cyberspace Affairs Office of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, and the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League, and is jointly sponsored by the Guangdong Computer Information Network Security Association, South China University of Technology, and China Telecom Guangdong Branch. The competition has six categories: government agencies and institutions, colleges and universities, enterprises and social organizations, individuals, Hong Kong and Macao, and youth, covering network security talents of all ages. Among them, the Hong Kong and Macau teams are formed independently, and Hong Kong teams compete with mainland teams on the same stage, which has become a highlight.
This competition has innovatively set up a dual-track parallel mechanism: the network security attack and defense competition adopts the AWD Plus mode, and the AI security special challenge is established for the first time, covering AI vulnerability mining and human-machine competition, AI intelligent agent independent problem solving and peak showdown. The competition topics are closely related to Guangdong's strategic industrial clusters, focusing on cutting-edge fields such as low-altitude economic security, Internet of Vehicles, industrial Internet, AI security, blockchain and mobile Internet, and set up virtual and real linkage physical demonstrations such as Internet of Vehicles sandbox, robot dog attack and defense competition, and drone hijacking to vividly present the real scene of network security attack and defense.
It is reported that South China University of Technology has ranked first in the province in scientific research investment for five consecutive years, creating a full-chain security research layout from chip hardware, communication networks, AI models, and industrial control systems. The advanced computing power infrastructure has provided solid support for the Bay Area Cup's high-intensity confrontation drills.
The total prize money of this event is nearly 500,000 yuan, and the highest individual award, the "Golden Bay Award", reaches 30,000 yuan per team. It is worth noting that the launch ceremony of the "Talent Direct Access and Co-construction" plan was also held on site, and 18 internship offers were awarded on the spot. This program was initiated by China Telecom Guangdong Branch, aiming to discover and reserve outstanding network security talents through competitions, and provide solid talent support for Telecom to build a "1+2+6+21" computing grid collaborative layout and core businesses such as TeleAgent Star Super Intelligence. Outstanding contestants will have the opportunity to deeply participate in the practical work of cutting-edge projects such as telecommunications computing networks and intelligent agent applications, opening up a fast track from the competition field to the workplace, and realizing talent selection through competition and promotion of production through talent.
This "Bay Area Cup" Cyber Security Competition is not only a technical competition, but also an important practice in building a cybersecurity talent ecosystem in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Driven by the organizer Guangdong Computer Information Network Security Association, the event closely combines technological innovation with industrial needs, using cutting-edge technologies such as computing power grids, smart bodies, AI security, and low-altitude security as links to continue to promote the deep integration of regional network security industry and talent training, and build a solid security barrier for the development of the digital economy in the Greater Bay Area.
