CIQ × NVIDIA Supercomputing Local AI Hackathon (Chicago, before SC26)
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About this hackathon
A technical in-person build weekend in Chicago (Nov 13–15, 2026, 5 PM Fri to 4 PM Sun CT) right before Supercomputing 2026, run by CIQ with NVIDIA and Drive Capital. Up to 20 teams of 3–5 each get two Lenovo ThinkStation PGX boxes (NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell) wired into a multi-node cluster orchestrated by Fuzzball, and must build a real AI workload that uses the whole cluster. Tracks: multi-node training, inference at scale, scientific AI, and cluster/scheduling. Free, 18+, approval required, multi-node/HPC experience expected; all code written from kickoff. Top 3 teams win SC26 passes, booth recognition and an NVIDIA Developer livestream feature; the prize list also includes a Lenovo ThinkStation PGX (about $6,000).
- Status
- Deadline
- 2026-11-13
- Starts
- 2026-11-13
- Who
- Open to all (18+, must attend in Chicago; multi-node/HPC experience expected; teams of 3–5 (full teams prioritized, solo applicants are placed into teams on day one); approval required, max 20 teams; all code written after kickoff)
- Level
- Advanced
- Prize
- Top 3 teams get SC26 conference passes, a prize moment at the CIQ × NVIDIA booth and an NVIDIA Developer livestream feature; prizes also list a Lenovo ThinkStation PGX (about $6,000); no cash
- Size
- —
- Format
- In person · Chicago · International
- Location
- Chicago
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Original listing (Chinese)
The full original listing below is in Chinese, as published in the Hack123 newsletter.
一句话简介：Rocky Linux 背后的 CIQ 联合 NVIDIA、Drive Capital 在芝加哥超算大会 SC26 前办的周末黑客松，每队拿两台 NVIDIA GB10 的 Lenovo ThinkStation PGX 组成多节点集群，做一个真正吃满整个集群的 AI 负载。
看点：四个赛道——多节点训练/微调、规模化推理、科学计算 AI、集群与调度；集群用 CIQ Fuzzball 编排（不需要事先会用）；免费，最多 20 队，3—5 人一队，整队报名优先，报名需审核；要求 18 岁以上、有多节点或 HPC 经验；所有代码须开赛后现写
奖金：无现金；前三名获 SC26 大会通行证，在 CIQ × NVIDIA 展位颁奖并上 NVIDIA 开发者直播；奖品还列有 Lenovo ThinkStation PGX（约 6,000 美元）
截止日期：官方未写报名截止，满 20 队后转候补，以开赛日为准（芝加哥线下）
活动日期：2026年11月13日 17:00—11月15日 16:00（美国中部时间，芝加哥 Fulton Market 区）
Summarized from the organizer’s page and public posts. Please confirm details on the official site before registering.