TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Sea Ltd., the Singapore-based technology company and parent of e-commerce platform Shopee (蝦皮購物), announced Friday (July 31) it will host a hackathon in Taipei. The Taiwan edition of the inaugural Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon Series takes place Sept. 12, part of Sea's partnership with OpenAI to expand AI developer tools across Asia Pacific.
The regional series launched in Singapore in June and now continues in Taiwan. The hackathon brings together developers, students, startups and technology builders to learn and build with OpenAI Codex, OpenAI's AI-powered coding agent. Participants gain access to Codex, technical mentorship and hands-on collaboration opportunities to develop AI applications addressing real-world challenges.
The event reflects Sea and OpenAI's shared commitment to expanding AI access and supporting the next generation of developers across Asia Pacific. Taiwan's technology ecosystem and deep pool of software talent make it an ideal location to foster AI innovation with commercial applications. Participants will build practical solutions, deepen their AI capabilities and connect with industry experts.
Chen added that Sea hopes the event will inspire more developers in Taiwan to harness AI to create value for businesses and society. "We hope this event will inspire more developers in Taiwan to harness AI to create value for businesses and society, while contributing to the long-term growth of Taiwan's AI talent pipeline and innovation ecosystem," he said.
"Developers play a central role in bringing AI into the real world," said Oliver Jay, managing director for international at OpenAI. "Taiwan is already among the top 10 markets globally for Codex adoption and engagement, reflecting the strength and enthusiasm of its developers."
Jay added that bringing the hackathon series to Taiwan for the first time with Sea gives OpenAI the opportunity to deepen engagement with local developers. "Bringing our regional hackathon series to Taiwan for the first time with Sea Limited gives us the opportunity to deepen our engagement with local developers, helping them build with Codex, learn from one another, and tackle real-world challenges," he said. "We're excited to see what Taiwan's next generation of AI builders will create."
The hackathon is open to developers and AI builders. Selected participants will build with OpenAI Codex, collaborate with fellow developers and receive mentorship from technical leaders at OpenAI Asia Pacific and Sea. Teams will compete by developing AI-powered solutions to real-world challenges, with finalists presenting their innovations to a judging panel of senior technical leaders from both organizations.
The hackathon offers a total of US$50,000 (NT$1.62M) in OpenAI API credits, supporting winning teams as they continue to develop their products and validate their concepts. All members of the top five teams will receive a one-year subscription to ChatGPT Pro.
The hackathon is one of several initiatives under Sea's partnership with OpenAI to support AI innovation across Asia Pacific. Beyond the hackathon, the companies work together to bring AI capabilities to businesses across the region. Shopee plans to introduce ChatGPT for Business to its seller ecosystem. The service enables eligible sellers to explore how AI can help create product listings, marketing content and customer service workflows.
Sellers will also have access to ChatGPT for Business trials, onboarding resources, training programs and best-practice guides. These resources are designed to help them adopt AI with confidence and automate everyday business operations.
Following the Taiwan edition, the Sea x OpenAI Regional Codex Hackathon Series will continue its expansion across Asia Pacific. Upcoming events are planned in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, further expanding opportunities for developers across the region to learn, build and innovate with AI. ◼
>>> The event takes place at the Taipei International Convention Center (台北國際會議中心) from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 12, 2026. Registration closes on Aug. 26. More information is available at the official event website.