SAS Hackathon helps develop AI skills and solve big challenges

A recent survey by data and AI leader SAS found that organizations around the globe are keenly interested in generative AI (GenAI) technologies. But they don't know how to ensure that GenAI delivers value.

Enter the SAS Hackathon, a monthlong, all-digital event in which teams of participants collaborate and compete to find the best solutions to business and humanitarian challenges using the latest AI and advanced analytics. Registration is open until Aug. 30.

Through the Hackathon, participants can explore entrepreneurial approaches, network with fellow innovators and SAS mentors, and try out the latest technologies like SAS' data and AI platform SAS® Viya®, synthetic data generator SAS Data Maker, and GenAI personal assistant SAS Viya Copilot.

In the process, teams can create applications that can solve real-world challenges and improve lives.

Changing the world through data and AI

Last year's winner is a great example. The city of Jakarta, Indonesia - the largest city in Southeast Asia - has been implementing a digital Smart City transformation since 2019 to enhance public services.

In the 2023 SAS Hackathon, Team JaWaRA (Jakarta Water Resources Analytics) used AI and IoT analytics to analyze real-time data on rainfall, water levels and river flow to better predict and prevent flooding - a problem that has worsened due to climate change. The project is now in use in Jakarta, supporting an early warning system that can push flood notifications to residents in high-risk districts and alert city officials to close flood gates, activate water pumps, and take further measures to prevent or prepare for flooding.

It was the second Hackathon winner in a row from Jakarta: In 2022, Team JAKSTAT created a machine learning-based platform to optimize the distribution of COVID relief funds to small businesses.

The Hackathon winners weren't the only teams making a difference:

• A US team created a visual dashboard to explore forced labor by country, industry and commodity, giving organizations better visibility into their supply chains.

• A Turkish team, motivated by challenges in the response to the Turkish earthquake of February 2023, created a model to aid in disaster response.

• A US banking team built an online carbon-footprint tracker that works alongside transactions in bank accounts, empowering consumers to see the real-time impact of their purchases, make informed decisions and receive suggestions for reducing their carbon footprint.

All told, last year's SAS Hackathon attracted 1,431 registrants from 69 countries. 107 teams representing 205 organizations started the Hackathon; 72 teams completed their hacks.

This year, the Hackathon runs from Sept. 16 through Oct. 11. Winners will be announced Nov. 20, live on YouTube and LinkedIn.

A competition across industries - and time zones

The SAS Hackathon is a monthlong, all-digital event. Team members can be - and often are - located on different continents. SAS experts will also lead industry-specific tracks: banking; energy; health care & life sciences; IoT; insurance; public sector; retail, consumer goods & manufacturing; telecom & media; and new for this year, a student track.

Longtime SAS partners Microsoft and Intel are the sponsors of this year's Hackathon. With SAS, Microsoft and Intel put data and AI to work and deliver insights that improve lives.

"I encourage you to gather a team, choose a challenging problem and enter the SAS Hackathon," said Alex Boakye, SAS Vice President of Solutions Development and executive sponsor of the SAS Hackathon. "We welcome all creative thinkers and problem-solvers, visionaries and data scientists, the curious and the passionate."

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