Written by Mirza Syahmina Binti Mustafar
KOTA SAMARAHAN, 10 January 2026 — Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), through a strategic collaboration between PERTEKMA and the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FCSIT), successfully organised the UNIMAS PartyRock Challenge 2025, a hands-on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) competition aimed at preparing students for an AI-driven future.
Held at Dewan Mutiara, DeTAR Putra UNIMAS, the programme attracted more than 150 participants from UNIMAS and other higher learning institutions, including Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), and Kolej Matrikulasi Sarawak. Students from diverse academic backgrounds came together, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and innovation.
The challenge introduced participants to PartyRock, an online GenAI platform developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Guided by facilitators and industry experts, participants were tasked with designing and developing AI-powered solutions, providing them with practical exposure beyond theoretical learning.
Designed as a digital talent development initiative, the programme combined challenge-based learning with industry-led sharing sessions.
A pre-workshop titled “Unlocking AI Power: Amazon Bedrock, Lovable, and Claude Code” was conducted on 7 January 2026 by Mr Hui Liang from MY Code Campus, where participants learned prompt engineering techniques and explored AI applications in content creation, coding, and problem-solving.
The main event on 10 January 2026 featured industry talks by Ts Johan Donough, Head of Partnerships and Community at Tupai AI, who shared insights on career development and entrepreneurship in an AI-driven world.
This was followed by a hands-on workshop by Mr Asyrique Thevendran, Director of Engineering at Paywatch, titled “Becoming Technical-Lite”, which focused on effective use of AI tools and coding agents for both technical and non-technical participants.
The competition segment was officially launched by Miss Valerie, who briefed participants on the challenge case study, competition rules, and the PartyRock platform.
Selected sessions were also streamed online, allowing non-participants to benefit from the knowledge-sharing component.
The programme culminated in a final pitching session, where the Top 10 teams presented their solutions.
Awards were presented to the Top 3 winning teams, recognising their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and effective application of Generative AI technologies.
The success of the UNIMAS PartyRock Challenge 2025 was supported by sponsors including Press Metal Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Yayasan Perkasa Siswa, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC Sarawak), and SACOFA Sdn. Bhd., with AWS providing platform support through PartyRock.
The event concluded with a closing ceremony attended by organisers, invited guests, and participants, marking another milestone in UNIMAS’s commitment to nurturing future-ready graduates.
As one of Malaysia’s Premier Digital Tech Institutions endorsed by MDEC, FCSIT UNIMAS continues to strengthen industry engagement and digital skills development through initiatives such as this challenge.
#mypdti