Student teams from Singapore's IHLs
Students from IHLs in Singapore formed teams of 1 to 4 and build on Databricks Free Edition, which is free to use. Teams still set up their own account, workspace and demo.
Databricks AISocial Impact (DAISI)Challenge
Singapore Edition
Student teams from Singapore's Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) take on real societal problems with national open data, built on Databricks Free Edition with Databricks mentors, and presented to a Demo Day judging panel.
Registration is closed. Our ten shortlisted teams are preparing for DAISI Demo Day on 27 October 2026.
10
finalist teams
2 weeks
mentored build sprint
Top 3
prize-winning teams
US$24,500
Total prize value
The challenge
Build something Singapore actually needs.
Real problems, national open data
Open problem statements paired with Singapore's national open data, focused on measurable social impact for the public sector.
Learn, build and showcase
Shortlisted teams build with Databricks mentors and present at Demo Day. The top three teams selected there are invited to showcase at the Databricks Singapore office launch.
Problem statements
Three tracks.
Nine real problems.
Pick one.
Every statement is built on open government datasets from data.gov.sg. Many can be downloaded or tested without an API key, though rate limits and endpoint requirements differ. Teams take one problem end-to-end: ingestion, engineering, machine learning and a live dashboard demo.
Prizes
US$24,500
Total prize value
Credits, training and certification across the top 3 teams
How the prize pool splits
Top 1
Worth Up To US$14K
- US$1,500 of Databricks credits
- 4 Half-Day Class training vouchers per person, worth US$3,000
- 1 certification voucher per person, worth US$200
Top 2
Worth Up To US$7K
- US$1,000 of Databricks credits
- 2 Half-Day Class training vouchers per person, worth US$1,500
Top 3
Worth Up To US$3.5K
- US$500 of Databricks credits
- 1 Half-Day Class training voucher per person, worth US$750
Training vouchers and certification vouchers are awarded per person; Databricks credits are awarded per team.
Sep – Nov 2026
The road to the finale.
- 16 SepLaunch · Completed
Data+AI World Tour Singapore
- Hackathon and problem statements announced
- Registration opens
- Formation of team (1-4 pax) in registration page
- 24 SepEnablement · Completed
Hands-on Training (completed)
- Topic: Get Started with Databricks: End to End
- Live virtual session held 24 Sep, 7:00-10:00 PM SGT
- Missed it? Start self-paced training
- Closed 6 OctRound 1 · Closed
Idea submissions
- 1-page concept note or 3-slide PDF
- Shortlisting 7–9 Oct
- 10 teams announced 9 Oct
- 12–26 OctBuild · Current phase
Two-week build sprint
- The 10 shortlisted teams each have a Databricks mentor
- Mentor check-ins follow each team's latest mentor-team Calendar invitation
- 27 OctRound 2
Demo Day
- Check-in from 3:30 PM SGT; programme 4:15–7:00 PM SGT; dinner to 8:30 PM SGT
- No submission required before Demo Day
- Top 3 teams selected
- See the full programme
- 30 OctTop 3 follow-up
Top 3 deck submission
- Only the top three teams selected at Demo Day submit their presentation decks
- Submission instructions will be shared directly with the top three teams
- 4 NovFinale
New office launch
- The top 3 teams selected at Demo Day are invited to showcase
- The other seven finalist teams are not included in the launch invitation
Training
Learn at your own pace
OptionalSelf-paced~2 hoursBeginner friendly
Missed the live session? The optional, self-paced Get Started with Databricks: End to End course covers the same ground. The 24 September live session has concluded and was not recorded.
Approximately 2 hours. No prior Databricks experience required. Academy sign-in or registration may be required.
Covers the workspace, Unity Catalog and ingestion, notebooks and Genie Code, SQL and dashboards, Genie Agents, and introductory AI/ML with MLflow and the Data Science Agent. Open the course.
What we cover
- 01The Databricks Workspace
- 02Understanding & Ingesting Data with Unity Catalog
- 03Working Faster with Genie Code
- 04SQL for Querying and Dashboards
- 05Genie Agents for Natural Language Analytics
- 06AI-ML & Data Science Agent
Your mentors
Databricks mentors in your corner for the sprint.
Each of the ten shortlisted teams is supported by a Databricks mentor during the two-week build. Check-ins follow your latest mentor-team Calendar invitation.
Xiao Wen (XW) Song
Solutions Architect
Tau Lim
Sr. Solutions Architect
Loy Sheng
Solutions Engineer
Akash Sihag
FDE at Databricks
Suzanne van Trigt
Lead Engagement Manager
Rochana Tiyyagura
Solutions Engineer
Darren Wee
Sr. Solutions Engineer
Jennifer Wang
Solutions Architect
Suneel Sunkara
Specialist Solutions Architect
Hao Yong
Solutions Engineer
Demo Day judges
The panel for 27 Oct.
Leaders from industry, the public sector and Databricks.
Chi Neng Leo
Managing Director of Singapore, Ultra Tendency
Clifton Phua
Director of Advanced Intelligent Software Systems, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)
Natsuki Morzaria
Head of Sales Development, ASEAN & Greater China Region, Databricks
Nicholas “Nick” Eayrs
Vice President, Field Engineering APJ, Databricks
Free to build
Databricks Free Edition
- Serverless notebooks, SQL warehouses and dashboards
- Genie spaces for natural language analytics
- Foundation Model APIs, model serving and MLflow
- Lakeflow pipelines and Unity Catalog governance
Questions
FAQs
Who can join?+
Students from Singapore's Institutes of Higher Learning, including undergraduates and polytechnic students, in teams of 1 to 4. Registration closed on 6 October 2026.
How much does it cost?+
Databricks Free Edition is free to use, with no credit card. Teams still need to set up an account, a workspace and their demo.
Do I need prior Databricks experience?+
No. The optional, self-paced Get Started with Databricks: End to End course (about 2 hours, no prior experience required) is a good starting point, and each of the 10 shortlisted teams has a Databricks mentor for the build sprint.
I missed the live training. Where can I learn?+
The 24 September live session has concluded and was not recorded. Instead, take the optional, self-paced Get Started with Databricks: End to End course: approximately 2 hours, no prior Databricks experience required. Academy sign-in or registration may be required.
What data do we use?+
Open problem statements paired with Singapore's national open data from data.gov.sg. Some APIs can be tested without a key, but rate limits and endpoint requirements differ; see the data.gov.sg API guidance. You may bring additional public datasets if you cite them.
What was submitted in Round 1?+
Round 1 closed on 6 Oct, 11:59 PM SGT. Teams submitted either a 1-page concept note or a 3-slide PDF, with a suggested 3-slide template for the slide option. Ten teams were announced on 9 Oct and moved into the build sprint.
Do we need to submit anything before Demo Day?+
No team is required to submit anything before Demo Day. Come ready to present and demonstrate your solution on 27 October. Only the top three teams selected at Demo Day need to submit their presentation decks by 30 October 2026. Submission instructions will be shared directly with the top three teams.
What happens after Demo Day?+
The top three teams selected at Demo Day will be invited to showcase at the Databricks Singapore office launch on 4 November 2026. The other seven finalist teams are not included in that launch invitation.
I can't see our Discord team channel. What should I do?+
Email daisichallenge@databricks.com with your exact Discord username and team name. Server membership alone does not guarantee access to private channels.
10 teams. 2 weeks. 1 stage.
Registration is closed. Our ten shortlisted teams are preparing for DAISI Demo Day on 27 October 2026.
No team is required to submit anything before Demo Day. Only the top three teams selected at Demo Day submit their presentation decks, by 30 October 2026.
View the challenge on Devpost