Cognizant has launched its first global OpenAI Codex hackathon involving 10,000 employees across six Indian cities, as the IT services company steps up efforts to build AI coding capabilities internally amid intensifying competition among technology firms to train their workforce on generative AI tools.
The hackathon, organised in partnership with OpenAI, is being held across Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Coimbatore and Kochi under the theme ‘Engineering the Frontier’, the company said in a statement on July 30.
The initiative comes at a time when Indian IT services companies are rapidly investing in AI talent, developer productivity tools and enterprise AI capabilities as clients increasingly demand AI-led software engineering and automation.
Earlier this year, Cognizant said it was recognised by OpenAI for its AI Builder capabilities and selected among a group of global systems integrators to help expand the use of OpenAI Codex for enterprise customers.
“Cognizant is bringing Codex to its workforce at significant scale, giving 10,000 associates across India the opportunity to learn, experiment and build with frontier AI,” Colleen Kapase, Vice President of Strategic Global Partnerships and Ecosystems at OpenAI, said in a statement. “This hackathon is an important first step in Cognizant’s ambition to translate those skills into practical solutions for enterprise customers.”
The company said the hackathon is intended to give employees hands-on experience with Codex through coding challenges, OpenAI-led training sessions and collaborative solution development. Participants will also have access to technical mentors and learning resources as part of the programme.
Cognizant plans to expand the initiative beyond the initial cohort, targeting participation from more than 50,000 employees over the coming months.
Rajesh Varrier, President of Global Operations, Chairman and Managing Director of Cognizant India, said the initiative is aimed at helping employees develop practical expertise with AI coding tools and build enterprise-focused AI solutions.
“For us as an AI Builder, combining human judgment with AI capability is key to closing the gap between AI and enterprise results,” said Varrier. “Hosting a global Codex Hackathon, right here in India, is a proud moment for us. It’s an opportunity for our associates to build real fluency with frontier tools like Codex and develop custom AI solutions that deliver value.”
The latest programme adds to Cognizant’s broader AI skilling efforts. Earlier this month, the company announced plans to expand its AI-focused workforce by creating 15,000 specialised professionals, essentially forward-deployed engineers, under its newly announced Frontier programme.
For the June quarter, Cognizant reported revenue of $5.48 billion, up from $5.24 billion a year earlier.
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