Regional AI competition draws more than 1,000 participants across Asia Pacific, with APU students securing five podium finishes while gaining hands-on exposure to enterprise AI automation.

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Students from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) demonstrated their capabilities in enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) at the Supervity AutoPilot Asia Hackathon 2026, securing five podium positions across the Sales Intelligence and Operations categories of the regional competition. 

Organised by US-based enterprise AI company Supervity in collaboration with the AWS Student Builder Group (AWS SBG) at APU, the hackathon attracted more than 1,000 participants from across the Asia-Pacific region, including Malaysia, India, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Australia. APU served as the host venue and academic partner for the Malaysia Grand Finale. 

The competition began with the Supervity AI Bootcamp on 11 and 12 July, followed by an online qualifying round on 18 and 19 July and a remote build phase from 3 to 7 August. The Grand Finale was held at APU on 8 and 9 August 2026, comprising an offline development day followed by live demonstrations, judging and the awards presentation. 

Turning AI into Real Business Solutions

Unlike conventional generative AI exercises, participants were challenged to create functional AI Employees using the Supervity AutoPilot platform. These autonomous agents were designed to execute business workflows involving real system integrations, AI policies and exception handling while retaining human oversight. 

A total of 250 teams entered the competition, with 120 teams progressing to the Grand Finale across five official tracks: Customer Support, Finance, Operations, Sales Intelligence, and HR and People Operations. Each track presented participants with a fictional company scenario, user persona, sample data and defined success metrics. 

The competition awarded first, second and third places within each track rather than naming one overall champion. Fifteen teams ultimately reached the podium:

Among the APU contingent, Loy Jia Eng, APU’s Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) (Artificial Intelligence) student, took first place in the Sales Intelligence category.

Evin Kor Kar Hei, together with Bryan Low Zhern Yang, APU’s Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computer Science (Cyber Security) students, secured second place in the Customer Support category.

In Operations, Mok Mun Chung, APU’s Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Actuarial Studies with a specialism in Data Analytics student, emerged as the category winner; Nur Hanna Dania Binti Abdullah, APU’s MSc in Data Science and Business Analytics student, secured second place, while Wong Ren Thou, APU’s Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) (Artificial Intelligence) student, joining Tho Kai Syuen, APU’s Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computer Science (Cyber Security) student, achieved third place.

Each competition track carried prizes of USD500 for first place, USD300 for second and USD200 for third, alongside certificates, platform access and potential internship or talent opportunities. 

Bringing Enterprise AI Closer to Students

The Grand Finale gave participants an opportunity to demonstrate their solutions directly to an industry judging panel comprising representatives from organisations including AMD, Daikin, NEC and APU. 

Among the judges were Ms Chen Voon Ping, Chief Financial Officer of Daikin Malaysia, and Mr Amad Arshad, Senior Lecturer at APU. Projects were evaluated through live demonstrations, with emphasis placed on working system integrations, AI policies, exception handling and whether the AI Employee could execute its intended tasks in practice. 

The closing ceremony featured an address by Prof Ir EUR ING Dr Vinesh Thiruchelvam, Chief Innovation and Enterprise Officer of APU, who highlighted the importance of AI, cloud technologies and industry-academia collaboration in preparing graduates for an increasingly technology-driven workplace. He encouraged students to complement academic knowledge with practical capabilities that address real industry needs. 

Supervity was also represented by senior members of its team, including Mr Ahron Menghani, Head of Growth at Supervity, and executives spanning AI engineering, growth and marketing communications. 

Students Behind a Regional Technology Event

Beyond competing, APU students played an important role behind the scenes. AWS SBG at APU supported registration, event operations, marketing and publicity, venue coordination and participant engagement throughout approximately 60 days of preparation. 

The club was guided by Mr Amad Arshad, Senior Lecturer at APU and advisor to AWS SBG, who connects members with opportunities to organise hackathons and technology workshops. He also works closely with the student team to coordinate the logistical requirements for the club’s various activities and events. 

The experience required the student team to coordinate multiple stakeholders, respond to operational changes and manage a regional-scale technology event while developing leadership, communication and event management skills. 

Through initiatives such as the Supervity AutoPilot Asia Hackathon, APU continues to create opportunities for students to move beyond classroom learning and engage directly with emerging technologies, industry challenges and professionals, strengthening the link between academic learning and applied experience.