Malaysia’s young digital innovators recently took center stage at the AI Muda@NADI Hackathon 2026, demonstrating remarkable creativity by developing cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) solutions tailored for the nation’s vital plantations and commodities sector. Centered around the theme “AI Innovation for the Future of Plantations and Commodities,” the grand finale gathered 26 exceptional finalist teams comprising Form 1 to Form 6 students representing every state across Malaysia.
After intense competition, team “INNOVIQ” from Kolej Vokasional Perdagangan Johor Bahru clinched the grand prize of RM5,000. They impressed the judging panel with “TerraScan,” an advanced AI-powered smart agriculture application. The app integrates intelligent soil analysis, customized crop recommendations, weather forecasting, farm simulation, and financial tracking to empower farmers with data-driven decision-making. Designed to enhance food security, lower operational overheads, and boost crop yields, TerraScan exemplifies how young minds can solve complex industry hurdles. Meanwhile, the second and third-place winners were awarded RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively.
The high-stakes hackathon served as the exhilarating culmination of the AI Muda@NADI initiative, a landmark digital empowerment project under the AI@NADI Training Programme 2026. Implemented in August by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in collaboration with CelcomDigi through the National Information Dissemination Centres (NADI), the nationwide campaign engaged over 9,000 secondary school students. Participants navigated six online learning modules spanning prompt engineering, ethical AI use, and creative digital media before submitting innovative projects evaluated on local relevance and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The initiative’s success was amplified by robust multi-sector partnerships involving Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Faculty of Education, Google for Education, the Ministry of Education, and Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSM). T. Kugan, CelcomDigi’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer and Acting Chief Innovation Officer, highlighted that bridging public-sector leadership with academic and industrial expertise translates national digital aspirations into practical, real-world learning opportunities for the younger generation.
Building on this monumental success, MCMC and CelcomDigi have announced strategic plans to scale the AI@NADI training framework further, extending specialized AI education to tertiary students and working professionals across Malaysia. This expansion aims to future-proof the nation’s workforce and cement Malaysia’s position as a thriving, inclusive digital economy.
Leave a Reply