Microsoft launches 'fastest coder' hackathon in India

Microsoft India, on Tuesday, launched the ‘Fastest Coder’ digital hackathon in partnership with ID8nxt, a digital marketing agency, in a bid to further its commitment to advancing generative AI and GitHub Copilot.

The hackathon is expected to attract participation from over 20,000 developers across India and aims to bring developers together to devise solutions that address diverse business needs across industries using GitHub Copilot. 

That said, the event will give developers and software engineers the chance to build innovative technology solutions that solve real-world problems, using GitHub Copilot.

"Participants will solve one of five problem statements, which will be revealed an hour before the challenge. The first 100 registrants will also receive an exclusive invitation to hack at Microsoft offices. The hackathon presents an opportunity for developers to build solutions across five themes using GitHub Copilot," the company said in a statement.

The top winner in each category of the hackathon will receive a cash reward of ₹1 lakh and other participants stand to win Microsoft goodies, it added.

Winning developers will be selected based on the functionality and completeness of the code, GitHub Copilot utilisation, code quality and readability, user interface and user experience, error handling, validation, innovation, and creativity.

The top-performing solutions will demonstrate a strong understanding of the respective programming languages while leveraging the power of GitHub Copilot to create efficient and practical applications.

“With an emphasis on boosting developer productivity through AI, this hackathon highlights the power of GitHub Copilot and its ability to help developers work more efficiently,” Himani Agrawal, Country Head, Azure, Microsoft India, said.

India is home to the world's youngest developer population and the second largest globally, said Microsoft, adding that the company is “dedicated to fostering a vibrant ecosystem of developers who are spearheading digital transformation and innovation”.

In December last year, Microsoft announced the 'Future Ready Champions of Code,' another pan-India programme aimed at skilling, certifications and solutions for software developers. The company mentioned that through the programme, it is looking to equip more than one lakh developers with the right set of skills, tools, and resources to drive India’s growth.

In a report published in December 2021, market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) estimated India's overall software market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14% between 2020 and 2025. However, another report by consultancy firm EY jointly with iMocha published in May this year revealed that 81% of companies have faced a shortage of 'power user or developer' tech skills, while only 19% had established a skill taxonomy.