~The winners from the regional hackathons from each country compete in the virtual global hackathon finale~

~Global winner will receive $10,000,while regional hackathon winners will win $5000 as prize money~

PENANG,Malaysia,Sept. 16,2024 --UST, a leading technology and digital transformation solutions company,has announced the launch of the fourth edition of D3CODE (pronounced 'decode'),its hackathon event,as part of celebrating 25 years of UST. This event provides a platform for everyone in six countries—US,UK,Spain,Mexico,and India—to showcase their expertise in creating innovative and forward-thinking technological solutions. Interested participants can register for the 2024 Hackathon on theHackerEarth website.

Initiated in 2019,D3CODE is a UST initiative designed to empower enthusiasts to tackle pressing real-world problems using emerging technology. With the theme,'Scale' for 2024,this year's competition aims to focus on scalable solutions that address issues of social impact such as education,health,poverty,and environmental sustainability. Those interested will be eligible to participate individually or in teams of up to four members. Registered teams will undergo a rigorous judging process that evaluate originality of the idea,potential social impact,scalability of the solution,and user experience among others. Regional hackathon winners will win $5000 each while the global winner will receive $10,000 as prize money. The contest is not open to employees of UST.

"We,as technologists,see a constant barrage of new frontiers and opportunities. While fundamental work is being done on everything from multimodal large models to reacting in real time to data signals,our goal is to build solutions that scale to meet the real-world ROI-driven business needs of our world-class clients. Thus,the theme for this year is apt: "Scale"—how can we assist our customers in scaling their use of these technologies,and how can all our developers grow to deliver these unique solutions? We look forward to 'Dream,Develop,Disrupt' at real-world scale. This year's D3CODE underscores the importance of being ready for this transition. We welcome all enthusiastic participants in this iconic challenge and are excited to engage with them to drive positive social impact," said Niranjan Ramsunder,Chief Technology Officer,UST.

D3CODE 2024 comprises three rounds for India ideation,video interview,and the final 24-hour hackathon and other geographies will have 2 only rounds – Ideathon and 24-hour in-person hackathon. In the final round,the winners from the regional hackathons from each country compete in the virtual global hackathon finale. The global hackathon's final round will feature a virtual presentation by the winning team from each of the seven countries to a judging panel. The global winner will receive USD 10,while regional hackathon winners of each country will win USD 5000 as prize money. The winning global team will travel to India and present at D3,the company's annual technology event at UST Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala,India.

The winning solution may be selected for incubation within UST's innovation ecosystem. During incubation,the team will receive mentorship,resources,and guidance from experts to refine and develop their solution. The winning team may also be eligible for seed funding,providing financial support to help bring their innovative idea to market. This offers a pathway for the winning team to transform their concept into a viable product or service,with the backing of UST's extensive network and expertise.

About UST

Since 1999,UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a powerful impact through transformation. Powered by technology,inspired by people,and led by our purpose,we partner with our clients from design to operation. Our digital solutions,proprietary platforms,engineering expertise,and innovation ecosystem turn core challenges into impactful,disruptive solutions. With deep industry knowledge and a future-ready mindset,we infuse innovation and agility into our clients' organizations—delivering measurable value and positive lasting change for them,their customers,and communities around the world. Together,with 30,000+ employees in 30+ countries,we build for boundless impact—touching billions of lives in the process. Visit us atwww.UST.com

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