Tamil Nadu Students Shine as Runner-Up at India’s Largest GenAI Student Challenge: OpenAI Academy x NxtWave Buildathon Finale
Students from Tamil Nadu claimed the Runner-Up position at the national finale of the OpenAI Academy x NxtWave Buildathon at the India AI Impact Summit, 2026 held at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan, New Delhi.
ProjectK from NIAT (AMET) won ₹3 lakh for building an AI-powered real-time traffic intelligence system that transforms India’s existing camera infrastructure. Project K transforms India’s existing traffic cameras into a unified AI-powered real-time traffic intelligence system that prioritizes ambulances, reduces congestion, and saves lives. Students representing Tamil Nadu displayed the strength of the state’s student AI ecosystem, with participants contributing to a nationwide pool of 70,000+ innovators tackling real-world challenges.
Organized as a flagship pre-summit initiative under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) IndiaAI Mission, the Buildathon brought together more than 70,000 young innovators in 7 states - Delhi, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu around the country. Identifying talent from universities through regional rounds across, the buildathon underscored the depth of India’s AI capabilities beyond metropolitan hubs. 90 teams advanced to the national finale, where they were evaluated by a distinguished jury comprising Raghav Gupta, Head of Education, India & Asia Pacific, OpenAI; Sandeep N, GTM APAC, OpenAI; Dr. Buddha Chandrasekhar, Chief Coordinating Officer, AICTE, Ministry of Education and Saharsh Sharma, VP, Chiratae Ventures along with industry leaders from JP Morgan Chase and Make My Trip. The review process prioritized the effective use of Large Language Models (LLMs), scalability, and system architecture, ensuring that student innovations translated into practical, deployment-ready solutions.
Guest of Honor Rama Lanka Devi, Lead Architect, Niti Frontier Tech Hub, Niti Ayog said, “India’s youth are not just learning AI, they are the first generation of AI nation-builders. And when they build with purpose, transformation becomes inevitable.”
Speaking at the national finale, Rahul Attuluri, CEO and Co-Founder of NxtWave, said, “With the OpenAI Academy x NxtWave Buildathon, we built the country’s largest GenAI challenge for students under the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Together with OpenAI, NxtWave is contributing to India’s mission of developing the largest pool of young AI talent. It’s a proud moment to see students from across regions present practical AI solutions on a global stage, and we will continue to expand this initiative to reach more cities and learners.”
Bonnie Chatterjee, Global Head of AI Deployment Engineering, OpenAI, said, “India is rapidly becoming a global epicenter for AI talent. What truly sets this ecosystem apart is the shift from experimentation to application. Students are building solutions rooted in reality, tackling everything from rural healthcare to agricultural yields. T Through the OpenAI Academy, we’re bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world impact, proving that Indian innovation is practical, essential and inclusive."
By mobilizing talent to solve challenges rooted in their own regional contexts, the initiative ensured that AI innovation is not just imported but indigenous, reinforcing the Summit’s mandate for inclusive, impact-led adoption at scale. Winning teams were awarded a total prize pool of ₹10 lakh, along with ecosystem support to scale their innovations reinforcing the buildathon’s focus on innovation.
