Tencent Cloud and UTM set students on real industry problems in AI hackathon

Tencent Cloud and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) have formalised a three-year collaboration on AI education and cloud skills, and ran a five-week hackathon built on problems set by Malaysian organisations, according to a Tencent Cloud press release on 21 September. Two winning teams will represent Malaysia at the company's global finals in Shenzhen.

Key points

• The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 18 August, and the hackathon ran from 10 July to 13 August.
• AmBank, Johor Corporation, Silverlake and Arkie AI set challenges on scam prevention, performance monitoring and communication skills.
• Team Sleep_Well won the AI Agent Track with AI Scam Shield, and Team Untitled won the Game Track with Threshold.
• The agreement also covers joint research, professional certification, internships and exchange activities.

Why it matters for Malaysia

Giving students live briefs from employers is one way to narrow the gap between campus training and workplace needs. The details come from the company's own release, so the outcomes have yet to be independently assessed.

Questions answered

What does the Tencent Cloud and UTM agreement cover?

According to the press release, the three-year Memorandum of Understanding signed on 18 August 2026 covers joint research in AI and cloud computing, professional certification, hackathons, internships, talent development and exchange activities.

Who won the Tencent Cloud and UTM hackathon?

Team Sleep_Well won the AI Agent Track with AI Scam Shield, a scam prevention platform built for a Silverlake challenge. Team Untitled won the Game Track with Threshold, a 3D simulation game for practising communication skills.