Riyadh: The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced today the opening of registration for the ‘GenAI for Materials Discovery Hackathon,’ organized in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, HUMAIN, and Academy 32. The hackathon is held under the supervision of Saudi scientist Professor Omar Yaghi, Advisor to the President of KACST and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and will run until October 23.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the initiative aims to empower participants with advanced skills in artificial intelligence and materials science, while connecting them with academic and industrial partners to transform innovative ideas into practical technologies and prototypes. It also seeks to position Saudi Arabia as a regional and global hub for innovation in energy and advanced materials.
Targeting university students, researchers, and entrepreneurs from across the Kingdom, the hackathon features virtual training sessions covering reticular chemistry, large language models, and prompt engineering, and will conclude with an in-person showcase of projects at Academy 32.
The hackathon focuses on two main themes: the application of large language models in discovering new reticular materials for hydrogen storage, carbon capture, and water harvesting; and the use of language models to enhance the teaching and learning of reticular chemistry through bilingual educational tools and applications explaining analytical instruments and scientific concepts.
Organizing this hackathon reflects KACST’s commitment to advancing the national research, development, and innovation ecosystem, addressing global challenges in climate and energy, and accelerating the development of innovative solutions for hydrogen storage, carbon capture, and water extraction. By integrating artificial intelligence into the discovery process, the time required to develop new materials can be reduced by up to 80 percent.
University students, researchers, and entrepreneurs can register and contribute to shaping the future of clean-energy materials through the following link.
