đź“ť Summary
Four teams from the University of Technology Malaysia (UTM) secured multiple awards at the Tencent Cloud Hackathon 2026 Global Finals, held in Shenzhen, China. The teams, representing both Malaysia and UTM, competed in the AI Agent and AI Game tracks and received recognition, with one team winning second prize and three teams earning merit awards. The achievement reflects UTM’s capacity to nurture student talent for international AI challenges and highlights the value of university-industry collaboration.
SHENZHEN, Sep 13 – The “AI CAN DO IT” Tencent Cloud Hackathon 2026 Global Finals were held on 13 September 2026 at Tencent Penguin Island in Shenzhen, China. The international competition brought together participants from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau SARs and Southeast Asia, providing a global platform for emerging AI talent to present innovative solutions in the Agent, Game and Animation tracks.
The competition followed more than 150 days of preliminary rounds across five regions, involving 10,122 participants and approximately 1,200 submissions. The final programme featured 42 finalist teams and groups across the three competition tracks, showcasing applications of artificial intelligence in enterprise solutions, game development and generative artificial intelligence (AI)-based creative content.
Following their success at the Tencent Cloud AI Hackathon 2026 Demo Day conducted at UTM in August, four UTM teams advanced to the Global Finals. Representing both Malaysia and UTM, the delegation comprised two teams from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence (FAI) and two teams from the Faculty of Computing.
UTM’s four finalist teams competed across the AI Agent and AI Game tracks, with all four teams receiving recognition at the Global Finals. Ho Yu Xiang (FAI) – Transafe, AI Agent Track – Second Prize (RMB25,000); Lim Chi Jian and Ng Zi Jing (FC) – TUNTAS, AI Agent Track – Merit Award (RMB10,000); Sang Yen Ling (FAI) – The Enchoverse, AI Game Track – Merit Award (RMB10,000); and Rahbab Chowdhury and Ahmad Suliman (FC) – Threshold, AI Game Track – Merit Award (RMB10,000).
Ho Yu Xiang, representing FAI with Transafe in the AI Agent Track, secured Second Prize and received RMB25,000. Following an interview during the programme, he successfully secured an internship opportunity with Tencent Cloud, expected to commence next year.
Faculty of Computing students Lim Chi Jian and Ng Zi Jing earned a Merit Award for TUNTAS in the AI Agent Track. In the AI Game Track, FAI student Sang Yen Ling received the same recognition for The Enchoverse, as did FC students Rahbab Chowdhury and Ahmad Suliman for Threshold.
UTM’s participation in Shenzhen extended beyond the competing student teams. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nurulhuda Firdaus Mohd Azmi from the Faculty of Artificial Intelligence was invited by Tencent Cloud to serve as one of the judges for the Global Finals.
The participation of four UTM teams at the Global Finals reflects the university’s capacity to nurture student talent for international AI challenges. Representing Malaysia and UTM on a competitive global platform, the students demonstrated how academic knowledge can be translated into practical, creative and industry-relevant solutions.
The journey from the UTM Demo Day to award-winning performances in Shenzhen highlights the value of university–industry collaboration in creating opportunities for international exposure, professional networking and career development. These achievements also strengthen UTM’s visibility within the global AI innovation ecosystem.
Written by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nurulhuda Firdaus Mohd Azmi, Faculty of Artificial Intelligence, UTM Kuala Lumpur
