Sea and OpenAI Bring Regional Codex Hackathon Series to Malaysia

Hackathon will bring together developers, students, startups and technology builders on 5 December to explore practical applications of AI

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 October 2026 – Sea and OpenAI today announced the Malaysia edition of the Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon Series, which will take place in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, 5 December.

Under the theme “Solving Unmet Needs with AI”, the one-day hackathon is expected to bring together 40 teams of developers, students, startups, and technology builders from across Malaysia to build with OpenAI’s Codex. Working in teams, participants will identify real-world needs and develop practical AI solutions, with guidance from experts at Sea and OpenAI.

As Malaysia works towards becoming an AI Nation by 2030, local talent capable of building and applying artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly will be an important part of translating these ambitions into practical applications. In support of this ambition, the Malaysia edition of the regional hackathon series aims to create more opportunities for local developers to experiment with emerging AI technologies, strengthen their capabilities, and exchange ideas with the broader developer community.

“AI creates the most value when it is applied with purpose and shaped by a clear understanding of how people live and work,” said David Chen, Co-Founder of Sea and Chief Product Officer at Shopee. “As the technology becomes more accessible, the focus should shift from what AI can do to how it can be used responsibly in everyday work. Combining innovation with practical judgement will be important as Malaysia’s AI ecosystem continues to develop.”

The regional series builds on Sea’s adoption of Codex across its engineering organization. It launched in Singapore in June and continued in Taiwan, with upcoming editions in Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand as it continues across Asia Pacific, before arriving in Malaysia.

“Developers play a central role in bringing AI into the real world, and Malaysia’s developer community brings a valuable understanding of local needs,” said Jon Sugihara, Head of AI Success Engineering, Asia Pacific at OpenAI. “Across the regional series, we have seen the range of ideas that can emerge when talented builders are given the tools, guidance and space to experiment. Through our partnership with Sea, we want to help participants use Codex and our latest frontier models like GPT-6 Astra to turn those ideas into practical solutions and build the skills and confidence to keep developing them beyond the hackathon.”

• First place: US$30,000 in OpenAI API credits
  
• Second place: US$15,000 in OpenAI API credits
  
• Third place: US$5,000 in OpenAI API credits

All members of the top five teams will also receive one year of ChatGPT Pro.

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, 5 December, 2026
Time: 8:00am to 9:00pm
Venue: Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur

Registrations are now open and will close on Friday, 6 November, 2026. For more information and registration details, please visit https://forms.gle/Cus4XtpX5CWMhDZj7.