About the challenge


Join us for a fast-paced, high-energy build sprint where students and emerging developers create AI-powered tools that help engineers ship better, faster, and with more confidence. Hosted by Highline Beta in partnership with 8090.ai.

 

Dates

Kickoff Night — January 16, 2026 (virtual or in-person)

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Welcome, challenge overview, and team formation.

Hack Day — January 17, 2026 (in-person)

8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Full-day build, mentorship, and final presentations.

Teams will have one night to plan and one full day to build before presenting to the panel.

Get started

Cerebras and Backboard.io have kindly contributed to the food, fast inference credits and production-grade memory. 
​Instant Access Portal: https://backboard.io/hackathons/

​​https://cloud.cerebras.ai/?utm_source=devx&utm_campaign=8090hackathon

 Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/A86Md4qn

Prizes

A recognition of the team building the best tools that help others build better.

Winners receive:

  • Fast-track interview with 8090.ai
  • Tech gadgets / credits
  • 1:1 coffee chat with Sahand Sojoodi, VP of Engineering, 8090.ai
  • Feature on LinkedIn and X

8090 Solutions builds and operates Software Factory, an AI-native system that gives top-down control over Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Today, we use Software Factory to design, develop, and host custom software for enterprise clients. Soon, enterprises will be able to subscribe to Software Factory directly.

 

Requirements

What to Build

AI-powered dev tools that enhance:

  • Developer productivity
  • Code quality
  • Collaboration and workflow

What to Submit

  • you will be asked to submit your work (a working demo) here
  • A few ideas to spark thinking :  Intent-to-Roadmap Compiler; Living Architecture Map; Spec-to-Test Generator

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

2 non-cash prizes
Cerebras Code
2 winners

Cerebras Code

Fast-track interview with 8090
1 winner

Coffee chat with Sahand Sojoodi, VP of Engineering, 8090.ai

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Sahand Sojoodi

Sahand Sojoodi
8090

Nish Sinnadurai

Nish Sinnadurai
Cerebras

Ben Yoskovitz

Ben Yoskovitz
Highline Beta

Judging Criteria

  • Creativity / Novelty
    Does the solution target an interesting or meaningful problem? Does it introduce a new way of thinking about the workflow, or push beyond incremental improvement?
  • Execution / Completion
    Have the core features been implemented well enough to demonstrate real utility? How well is the project built from a technical perspective? This includes functionality and completeness of the prototype, code quality, architecture, and system design.
  • Tastefulness / Elegance
    Is the solution thoughtfully designed? Does it show empathy for its intended users through clarity, simplicity, and overall product quality?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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