Cognizant Bets Big on AI with OpenAI Codex Hackathon for 10,000 Associates

Bengaluru: Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH), a leading AI Builder and technology services provider, announced it is hosting its first global Codex Hackathon with OpenAI. Organized under the theme “Frontier Engineering”, the hackathon covered six cities of India – Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Coimbatore and Kochi – and brought together 10,000 company employees to learn, experiment and build solutions using OpenAI Codex, one of the industry’s most advanced AI coding platforms.

Earlier this year, Cognizant was recognized by OpenAI for its AI Builder capabilities and was selected along with other leading global systems integrators (GSIs) to help scale Codex’s impact on enterprise customers worldwide. The OpenAI Codex Hackathon reflects Cognizant’s broader vision to create a strong AI Builder Community where learning is collaborative, experimentation is encouraged, and innovation is driven by practical results. Participants work with peers, interact with mentors, and discover how AI-powered development can solve real business challenges.

“Cognizant is bringing Codex to the workforce at significant scale, giving its 10,000 employees across India the opportunity to learn, experiment and develop with leading-edge AI,” said Colleen Kapase, Vice President, Strategic Global Partnerships and Ecosystems, OpenAI. “This hackathon is an important first step in Cognizant’s goal of turning these capabilities into practical solutions for enterprise customers.”

“For us as an AI Builder, combining human judgment with AI capability is the key to closing the gap between AI and enterprise outcomes,” said Rajesh Varrier, President, Global Operations and Chairman and Managing Director, Cognizant India. “It is a proud moment for us to host a global Codex Hackathon here in India. This is an opportunity for our employees to gain true fluency with leading tools like Codex and develop custom AI solutions that add value.”

The hackathon gave participants the opportunity to experience Codex through hands-on problem solving; access exclusive OpenAI masterclasses and curated learning resources; Collaborate with AI enthusiasts, engineers, and innovators at Cognizant; showcase ideas and solutions to business and technology leaders; and connect with Cognizant’s growing AI Builder community. The company plans to hold more instances of this hackathon in the coming months, with the goal of attracting overall participation of more than 50,000 employees.

As an AI developer, Cognizant fosters a culture of AI-driven innovation across the organization. Last year, the company set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ for the largest online GenAI hackathon with its global Vibe Coding Week, where employees used leading vibration coding tools to produce more than 30,000 prototypes.