KUALA LUMPUR, 17 September 2026 – Pavithra A/P Muniandy, a Bachelor of Computer Science (Computer Systems and Networking) student from the Faculty of Computing (FK), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), achieved national recognition after emerging as a Champion at the Google Data Centre Hackathon Malaysia 2026, held at the Google Malaysia Office, Axiata Tower, Kuala Lumpur.

The achievement highlights UMPSA's commitment to producing industry-ready graduates capable of excelling in real-world technology challenges through technical expertise, teamwork, and innovation.

The prestigious hackathon brought together approximately 40 students from universities across Malaysia, who were grouped into eight multidisciplinary teams of five participants. Designed to simulate real data centre operations, the programme immersed participants in hands-on technical challenges that demanded critical thinking, effective collaboration, and practical problem-solving under time pressure.

The competition began with the assembly and configuration of a physical server, followed by RJ45 cable termination (crimping) based on industry-standard demonstrations provided by Google engineers. After successfully deploying the server on the Debian Linux operating system, participants advanced to the Capture The Flag (CTF) cybersecurity challenge—the most demanding component of the competition.

During the CTF challenge, each team was required to retrieve information from the server to solve 12 technical challenges within the allocated timeframe. The exercise tested participants' knowledge of Linux systems, networking, server administration, and analytical thinking while requiring seamless teamwork to overcome increasingly complex scenarios.

Her team's outstanding performance earned them the Champion Award, recognising their technical excellence, teamwork, and ability to perform under pressure in a highly competitive environment.

For Pavithra, the victory represents more than a competition milestone—it reflects the value of continuous learning, resilience, and collaboration in preparing for the evolving digital industry. The experience has further strengthened her confidence to pursue future opportunities in data centre technologies, networking, and cybersecurity.

Source: Ts. Dr. Hoh Wei Siang, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Computing

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