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The Centific Premier Hackathon has been a transformative two-week exploration into practical applications of next-gen data, AI, and machine learning. Unlike typical hackathons characterized by fierce competition and high-pressure coding sprints, this hackathon was a structured learning experience aimed at harnessing raw talent.
With 97% of participants being students with limited real-world development experience, the challenge extended beyond problem-solving; it was about equipping the next generation of technologists with a deeper understanding of AI’s practical applications.
The response to the hackathon announcement was overwhelming. More than 2,000 registrations poured in from more than 40 universities and 35 towns across India. After rigorous rounds of evaluation considering factors such as CGPA, past internships, live projects, and performance in an online assessment, we shortlisted a list of the elite 100 applicants.
The selected individuals were paired with mentors based on their skill sets, guiding them through a series of 40 problem statements, each illustrating a specific facet of AI engineering. The challenges spanned a diverse range of topics, including:
Video transcription and reporting: Using AI to transcribe and analyze video evidence for police investigations, focusing on extracting critical details, identifying suspicious activities, and automating the curation of comprehensive case files.
End-to-end RAG: Developing a GenAI enterprise information copilot to streamline the retrieval of structured and unstructured data using RAG pipelines, enabling accurate and efficient information extraction.
Pipeline chunking: Implementing AI-powered data chunking techniques to handle both structured and unstructured datasets, and benchmarking segmentation methods to optimize data processing.
Pipeline vectorization: Building AI-driven vectorization systems to enable precise data retrieval, supported by advanced validation techniques.
Prompt contextualization: Implementing AI-powered prompt engineering to generate optimized responses tailored for enterprise-level queries.
AI and ML schedule orchestration: Designing an AI-powered scheduler engine to orchestrate RAG, AI, and ML pipelines, featuring pre-scheduling scans, auto-healing, and advanced scheduling features like conditional triggers.
DevSecOps: Facilitating AI-powered automated deployment of dynamic storage, compute, and networking services, alongside cluster provisioning, to ensure scalability and security within enterprise environments.
Participants were invited on a guided learning journey
This hackathon wasn’t about throwing participants into the deep end and seeing if they’d sink or swim. Our expert architects and AI engineers from the Digital Architecture Centre of Excellence (DAC) stepped in as mentors, turning the hackathon into a talent incubator.
As teams grappled with complex problem statements, the mentors facilitated brainstorming sessions, helping participants refine their ideas and think critically about their approaches. Rather than simply providing answers, these mentors guided participants at every turn—offering insights on coding standards, testing protocols, real-time debugging, and best practices for deploying AI in diverse production environments.
The two-week timeline offered unique advantages
The Centific Premier Hackathon was not a competition. It was an ambitious endeavour aimed at bringing together a community of innovators and nurturing their growth to confront complex business challenges. Our strategic decision to extend the event over two weeks reflected the intricate nature of the challenges and the depth of the solutions required.
The problems posed demanded multidisciplinary expertise, integrating core technical skills with an AI flavor, spanning domains such as data management, RAG, AIOps, GenAI, DevSecOps, microservices, and more.
The value of this extended format was clear from the beginning. Participants dove into intricate problem statements that called for more than just coding proficiency. They required time to deconstruct intricate challenges, engage in meaningful dialogues, and meet with their mentors to refine unique concepts and methodologies. The initial days were pivotal, as participants acclimated to novel paradigms and technologies, setting the stage for a robust learning experience.
By day three, the transformation was evident. Ideas began to take shape, and a palpable energy enveloped the space. Teams discovered their cadence and tapped into their creative capabilities to formulate innovative solutions.
For us, technical expertise was just one piece of the puzzle. Innovation goes beyond lines of code—it demands a strategic vision or what we call the “big picture.” With this in mind, we invited industry leaders to impart their brainpower, inspiring participants to critically assess real-world complexities.
It was a delight to see participants fully embrace the opportunity, seizing the moment to network and broaden their expertise. We invited a diverse range of speakers, including:
A key member of the core team that launched Microsoft operations in India during the late 90s
A tier-one university professor leading a startup cohort
An AI and ML leader at a prominent US bank known for delivering more than 50 talks in the Silicon Valley
A DevSecOps expert who initiated cloud transformation for a leading UK Bank
A director of customer experience for one of the largest ERP providers
A woman entrepreneur and founder of a social startup
A product specialist from a leading data and AI software provider.
As participants built innovative solutions, they also received guidance from Centific leaders, shaping their development into potential future solution architects. This experience allowed them to tackle time management and problem-solving head-on, navigating the ups and downs of real-world project development. They learned to adapt, pivot, and innovate under pressure and got a taste of what awaits them in the fast-paced tech industry.
We were honored to witness the transformation of so many young, talented participants into seasoned developers in just two short weeks.
Participants enjoyed our holistic, educational approach
The hackathon wasn’t all about coding and crunching numbers. At Centific, we believe that innovation flourishes when stress-free people have the freedom to innovate, so we ensured that our participants had some fun along the way. Between intense coding sessions, participants kicked back with standup comedy shows, movie screenings, BBQ lunches, and a talent show—an opportunity to showcase their skills outside of programming.
We concluded with a parting celebration, rewards, and recognition
After two intense weeks, the challenge wrapped up with three teams and three individuals emerging as winners and being celebrated with prizes like MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.
However, the spotlight wasn’t solely on the winners; 50 standout participants caught our eye, earning an exclusive opportunity to join Centific’s elite product innovation and R&D team, the minds behind developing the next-gen data and AI solutions.
The finish line came quicker than we ever expected
When the dust settled, what stood out wasn’t the solutions or the technology, but the journey. Participants walked away not just with refined technical skills but also a nuanced grasp of the multifaceted nature of AI and its real-world applications.
And for us? It was a talent-farming exercise unlike any other—an opportunity to discover and nurture the next generation of AI engineers, ready to shape the future.
Learn more about Centific’s experience-based approach to AI engineering.