17,000 Young Innovators Join BRICS Hackathon to Solve Energy Crisis
The GO-BRICS India-Russia Energy-o-thon 2026, billed as the world's first BRICS nations hackathon, launched on July 4 with a virtual opening ceremony. Organised by the GO-BRICS Business Forum and coordinated in India by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology (RGIPT), the event challenges engineering students to apply artificial intelligence to real-world energy problems.
More than 17,000 participants registered from India and Russia, with over 40% of Indian participants being women—a notable figure for a technology competition. Students hail from top institutions including IITs, NITs, IIITs, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Moscow Polytechnic University, and Almetyevsk Higher School of Oil.
The Core Challenge: AI-Driven Energy Management
The qualifying problem statement, "AI Dispatcher for the Energy Transition: Balancing Production and ESG under Uncertainty," requires teams to manage a 90 MW power deficit in a hybrid industrial energy system without breaching sustainability constraints. Teams collaborate on the DION digital platform over 72 hours, developing models and workable approaches.
The competition is structured in three stages: an online qualifying round, offline semi-finals in India, and a grand finale in Russia, with the final stage planned to coincide with the BRICS Heads of State Summit. The top 60 teams advance to the semi-finals, and the strongest earn fully sponsored places at the final.
Solutions Built for Real-World Application
Organisers emphasised that the hackathon produces not just concepts but worked solutions, including mathematical models, economic calculations, and implementation scenarios. The judging panel, drawn from India's technology and startup community, evaluates entries on technical merit, feasibility, and real-world applicability.
The panel includes Sahil Dhull (Founder and CEO of Kyra, IIT Kanpur, previously backed by a16z Speedrun), Shivam Bhatia (Founder and CEO of Clinsight AI, co-founder at Lunabill YC F25), Rounak Adhikary (CEO of ProjectX YC P26, associated with Stanford ASES), Bishal Karmakar (CTO of ProjectX), and Sourya Majumder (COO of ProjectX). Their combined expertise spans AI systems, enterprise software, and product engineering.
Institutional Support and Future Plans
The initiative is led by Ms. Purnima Anand, President of the BRICS International Forum, with institutional support from Prof. Harish Hirani, Director of RGIPT. Technical vision was presented by Mr. Victor Kokushkin and Dr. Akash Yadav. RGIPT faculty including Dr. Susham Biswas, Dr. Milan Kumar, Dr. Debashis Panda, and Prof. Amit Ranjan provide academic backing.
Organisers described the Energy-o-thon as a recurring platform for India-Russia scientific cooperation and plan to extend the model to other BRICS nations in future editions. The hackathon underscores the growing partnership between India and Russia in energy and digital technologies, aligning with the ESG agenda.
