SINGAPORE — Sea Limited, the Singapore-based technology company behind Shopee and Garena, has partnered with OpenAI to launch the Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon, a new initiative aimed at helping developers across Southeast Asia build real-world artificial intelligence applications using OpenAI’s Codex coding platform. The inaugural event, held on June 6 at Shopee’s headquarters in Singapore, attracted more than 1,200 applications, with around 40 teams selected to compete in a full-day hackathon focused on production-ready AI solutions.

The event marks OpenAI’s first regional hackathon partnership in Asia-Pacific and reflects a growing effort by both companies to cultivate AI talent as demand for AI-powered products accelerates across the region.

More Than a Coding Competition

Unlike traditional hackathons that often emphasize experimentation or student participation, the Sea x OpenAI Codex Hackathon targeted experienced developers, startups, and AI builders already familiar with modern AI development tools.

Participants competed across three tracks designed around practical applications of artificial intelligence:

• Autonomous and adaptive AI agents;
• AI-native products and operations; and
• Deep-domain AI applications tailored to specific industries.

Selected teams spent the day building working prototypes using OpenAI Codex, the company’s AI-powered coding assistant, with winning teams receiving up to US$30,000 in OpenAI API credits alongside ChatGPT Pro subscriptions.

Rather than serving as an introductory workshop, the event was positioned as an intensive platform for developers to build deployable AI applications within a compressed timeframe.

Why Sea Is Investing in AI Builders

The hackathon also reflects Sea’s broader strategy to strengthen AI capabilities across its businesses.

Best known for operating Shopee, Garena, and digital financial services through SeaMoney, the company has increasingly integrated artificial intelligence into product development and internal operations. Organizing a regional hackathon allows Sea to engage directly with developers who may eventually contribute to the next generation of AI-powered products.

The initiative also builds on Sea’s growing relationship with OpenAI, with the company describing itself as one of OpenAI’s largest Codex customers in Asia.

For Sea, investing in AI talent complements its broader efforts to expand AI adoption across e-commerce, gaming, and digital financial services.

Part of a Broader Partnership

The hackathon is one component of a wider collaboration announced by Sea and OpenAI in 2026.

In late June, the companies unveiled a broader strategic partnership that includes integrating the Shopee platform into ChatGPT across eight markets, including Southeast Asia and Brazil, while also introducing ChatGPT for Business tools designed to help Shopee sellers improve customer engagement and business operations.

Viewed together, the initiatives suggest that the companies are investing not only in deploying AI products but also in developing the talent ecosystem needed to build and sustain them.

Why Southeast Asia Matters

The regional focus reflects Southeast Asia’s growing importance in the global AI landscape.

The region has emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies, supported by a large developer community, expanding startup ecosystems, and rising adoption of AI across commerce, financial technology, and digital services.

By hosting the first edition in Singapore and planning subsequent events across Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan, Sea and OpenAI are positioning the hackathon as a regional initiative rather than a one-country program.

The expansion also acknowledges the increasing demand for opportunities that allow developers to work directly with frontier AI tools while building solutions tailored to local markets.

Looking Beyond the Competition

While the Singapore edition has concluded, the broader hackathon series is only beginning.

Additional regional events are expected to roll out over the coming months, giving more developers access to OpenAI’s coding technologies while expanding Sea’s engagement with the region’s AI community.

Although hackathons alone do not guarantee commercial success, initiatives such as the Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon increasingly serve as testing grounds for new ideas, developer talent, and practical AI applications.

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries across Southeast Asia, the partnership between Sea and OpenAI signals that competition is extending beyond releasing new AI products. It is also becoming a race to cultivate the developers who will build the next generation of AI-powered businesses and services.

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