Technology company Sea and artificial intelligence research firm OpenAI have officially announced the Malaysian edition of their Regional Codex Hackathon Series.
Scheduled to take place at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 5 December 2026, the event aims to assemble tech talent from across the nation to build practical artificial intelligence solutions.
What is the Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon?
Based on the theme “Solving Unmet Needs with AI”, the one-day competition will gather 40 selected teams comprising developers, university students, startups, and technology builders.
Over a 13 hour session, participants will work collaboratively to identify everyday challenges and engineer functional software tools using OpenAI Codex alongside state of the art models such as GPT 6 Astra. Technical specialists representing both Sea and OpenAI will be on site to offer direct mentorship and guidance throughout the day.
This initiative aligns with Malaysia’s broader national target of becoming an AI Nation by 2030. By offering local talent hands on exposure to emerging artificial intelligence tools, the event seeks to elevate technical capabilities and foster collaboration within the software community.
The initiative also builds upon Sea’s internal deployment of Codex across its engineering organisation. Malaysia represents a key stop in this Asia Pacific series, which kicked off in Singapore in June before travelling to Taiwan, with further legs planned for Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Why practical AI application matters
According to Sea co-founder and Shopee chief product officer David Chen, artificial intelligence generates maximum value when applied with intent and a clear understanding of daily user needs. He noted that as these tools become more accessible, the focus needs to transition from basic capabilities toward responsible deployment in everyday workflows.
From OpenAI’s perspective, Jon Sugihara, who leads AI success engineering for the Asia Pacific region, highlighted the critical role local developers play in bringing AI tools to practical reality. He pointed out that Malaysian talent brings essential contextual knowledge of local requirements, which helps in converting concept stage ideas into viable solutions that extend far beyond the hackathon itself.
API credits and ChatGPT Pro subscriptions up for grabs
Sea and OpenAI also announces rewards for top performing teams:
- First place: US$30,000 (approx. RM130,000) in OpenAI API credits
- Second place: US$15,000 (approx. RM65,000) in OpenAI API credits
- Third place: US$5,000 (approx. RM21,500) in OpenAI API credits
These API credits function as digital developer allowances, enabling programmers to run their software tools directly on OpenAI cloud servers without incurring out of pocket costs.
Furthermore, every single member across the top five finishing teams will receive a full one year subscription to ChatGPT Pro, which is OpenAI’s top tier AI assistant.
How to register for this event
Registrations are currently open for local developers and teams, with applications officially closing on Friday, 6 November 2026.
Interested participants can submit their applications online via the official registration link here.
