- Hackathon showcased Malaysia’s rising AI talent for the digital economy
- Event drew 1,741 participants, including 1,547 students and 194 professionals
The Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU), in collaboration with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Amazon Web Services (AWS), has successfully hosted the Great Malaysia AI Hackathon 2025, officially recognised by ASEAN Records as the largest on-site AI hackathon jointly organised by academia and industry in the region.
Held on 20 September 2025 at APU’s Technology Park Malaysia campus, the event drew 1,741 participants, including 1,547 students and 194 industry professionals, representing more than 50 institutions. Malaysian students based at Durham and Cambridge Universities also joined. With 20 industry mentors and a prize pool of US$26,000 (RM110,000), the hackathon not only broke records but also highlighted Malaysia’s growing strength in cultivating AI talent for the digital economy.
Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo launched the event, stressing the importance of AI in shaping society and industry. “AI is already transforming the way we live and work. It starts with data, which must be digitised, stored and shared effectively—supported by computing power to create meaningful solutions,” he said. He congratulated APU and its partners, adding: “With our infrastructure, ecosystem and your creativity, Malaysia can become not just a digital nation, but an AI nation by 2030.”
APU CEO Datuk Parmjit Singh (pic) highlighted the collaboration behind the success: “This hackathon reflects the synergy between AWS, APU and MDEC. The overwhelming response shows the hunger for innovation.” He also underlined APU’s global standing: “With over 16,000 students from 130 countries, we continue to lead in digital education, being among the first in the region to offer a degree in Cloud Engineering. This pioneering spirit, together with our partnership with AWS, reflects our shared vision of empowering the next generation of cloud-ready and AI-focused talent.”
AWS’s Peter Murray, head of Asia Pacific and Japan Go-to-Market, praised the talent on display, stating: “You are the future tech leaders of Malaysia, driving AI forward.” He announced an increase in AWS sandbox credits from US$50 (RM210) to US$100 (RM420), encouraging participants to “think big, build bold, and push ideas further.” He noted that during the hackathon, participants had access to AWS services such as Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Q.
Supported by MDEC’s Premier Digital Tech Institutions initiative, the hackathon brought together industry mentors, technology partners and sponsors such as AxrailAI, Crayon, eCloudValley, and GitLab. It also featured Tech Talks, networking opportunities and cross-sector collaboration.
The event underscored Malaysia’s position as a digital frontrunner in ASEAN, setting a benchmark for hackathons and reinforcing the nation’s ambition to become an AI powerhouse by 2030. For APU, AWS and MDEC, it marked a milestone in shaping the future of technology in Southeast Asia.
