In a global competition dominated by Master’s students, PhD researchers, industry professionals, and former champions, a team of 10 undergraduates from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) defied all expectations. Against more than 100 teams from around the world, they emerged as Global Champions of the Industry Energy Track at the SAS Hackathon 2025.

The odds were not in their favour. Yet Team Decathon emerged as the only victorious team from Malaysia. This triumph marked a historic milestone not only for APU, but for Malaysian data analytics education on the world stage.

Led by Data Analytics student Lam Yu Yan, Team Decathon comprised his coursemates Ng Cheng Xin, Devan Asokan, Vinz Chan Yun Qi, Ryan Khoo Zou Xin, Ansel Yew Ik Min, Shermaine Yap Shi Min, Chong Kelvin, Enoch Soong, and Artificial Intelligence student Lim Gen Jack. 

Their journey was guided by Assistant Professor Dr Preethi Subramanian of APU’s School of Computing, with professional support from Mr Khor Swee Kweng, Principal Advisor of SAS Malaysia. 

Held from 15 September to 10 October 2025, the SAS Hackathon was an all-digital (virtual) event and one of the world’s most demanding analytics competitions. Participants are challenged to design real, deployable AI solutions addressing urgent industry, societal, and sustainability problems using advanced analytics, cloud platforms, and artificial intelligence. For undergraduates to triumph in such an arena is rare. For 10 of them to do so together is extraordinary. 

Choosing the Hardest Problem

While many teams gravitated towards safer, narrower challenges, Team Decathon chose to confront a global crisis: systemic obsolescence in energy infrastructure. 

“As the world accelerates towards a hyper-connected future, our energy systems are struggling to keep up,” Lam explained. “By 2030, an estimated 125 billion IoT devices will be connected worldwide. Yet today’s power grids still react too slowly to disruptions. The consequences are devastating—large-scale blackouts, billions in economic losses, wasted renewable energy, and threats to public safety and national resilience. In the United States alone, power outages cost approximately US$150 billion every year.”

Rather than stepping back from the scale of the problem, the team leaned into it.

Project LUCID, A Grid That Thinks

Team Decathon developed Project LUCID—an intelligent energy analytics system inspired by the human nervous system. LUCID is designed to make power grids sense, think, react, and anticipate in real time.

Instead of treating energy infrastructure as static machinery, LUCID transforms it into a living, adaptive system. It demonstrated the ability to reduce unplanned outages, minimise renewable energy wastage, lower operational costs, and strengthen long-term grid resilience.

LUCID: Biological Grid Intelligence

The international jury praised the project’s technical maturity and real-world impact: 

“The team clearly demonstrated the immense social and economic consequences of power outages. Their solution stands out through its seamless integration of SAS Viya with open-source Python tools, combining reflexive response, predictive foresight, and digital twin simulations. It was a comprehensive, well-structured, and compelling solution to a critical global challenge.” 

Victory Forged Under Pressure

What makes this triumph remarkable is not only the result but the journey. All 10 members were undergraduates, most balancing full-time internships while competing in a month-long global hackathon. 

With limited time and steep learning curves, they demonstrated strategic leadership, precise role allocation, advanced machine learning capability, exceptional discipline, and the ability to deliver under real-world constraints. Their progress was strengthened by Dr Preethi’s guidance on Digital Twin integration and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, alongside her foundational teaching in SAS Viya. Professional insights from SAS Malaysia further sharpened their solution during critical technical and submission stages.

Reflecting on the experience, Lam Yu Yan shared, “Countless hackathon losses enhanced my critical thinking skills and taught me how to lead under pressure. Crossing the finish line is already a miracle, but winning it felt as if the universe itself had answered our calling. To my team that I’ll forever be proud of—thank you for refusing to quit.”

Shermaine Yap echoed the sentiment: “I still couldn’t believe it when I woke up and found out we became SAS Hackathon Champions. Balancing the hackathon with internship commitments was challenging, but overcoming it together taught me so much about time management, teamwork, and applying analytics to real-world problems.”

Lim Gen Jack added, “From university interns to world champions—this journey has been surreal. I am deeply grateful to my teammates for pushing through every obstacle and to our mentors for believing that we could compete with the very best.”

Praising her students, Dr Preethi remarked, “What stood out most was their time management, curiosity, and complementary skill sets. Watching them grow into a high-performing, solution-driven team has been incredibly rewarding.”

When Potential Meets Preparation

The story of Team Decathon is a powerful reminder that excellence is not defined by academic titles but by preparation, courage, and vision.

“This victory proves that a so-called ‘dark horse’ can redefine the race. With the right training, mindset, and mentorship, our undergraduates can rise beyond expectations and stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best,” concluded Associate Professor Ts Dr Tan Chin Ike, Head of the School of Computing.