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Entries to the annual SAS Hackathon, a month-long all-digital event in which teams of participants collaborate and compete to find the best solutions to business and humanitarian challenges using artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics, have closed. The South African team, Billion Rows, will look to do the country proud at the prestigious event which attracts interest from coders and companies from across the world to come up with innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
Through the Hackathon, participants can explore entrepreneurial approaches, network with fellow innovators and SAS mentors, and try out the latest technologies like SAS’ data and AI platform SAS Viya, synthetic data generator SAS Data Maker, and GenAI personal assistant SAS Viya Copilot.
“The SAS Hackathon provides a powerful platform for teams to demonstrate their creativity and problem-solving capabilities. In Billion Rows, we are proud to support a team that is not only passionate about innovation but also committed to making a tangible impact in the retail sector,” says Itumeleng Nomlomo, Senior Business Solutions Manager at SAS in South Africa.
The local team is led by technical consultant Fungai Jani. “This is the first time Billion Rows will participate in the Hackathon. We are focused on addressing critical challenges in the retail industry, such as inventory management, demand forecasting, and supply chain optimisation. By harnessing the power of advanced analytics supported by SAS solutions, the team will look to develop solutions that not only address these common problems but also pave the way for more intelligent and agile retail operations.”
The Billion Rows project, titled Applying Predictive Modelling & Automated Decisioning in the Retail Industry, aims to develop advanced tools and methodologies for optimising inventory management with greater efficiency in the retail sector. The team will use SAS solutions such as SAS Studio, SAS Visual Analytics, Model Studio, and Intelligent Decisioning.
Billion Rows also will leverage AI, particularly in the form of machine learning and predictive modelling. The models that it builds can analyse large retail datasets, identify patterns, and make data-driven predictions, enabling more intelligent and automated decision-making processes.
The SAS Hackathon will also feature SAS experts that will lead industry-specific tracks: banking; energy; healthcare & life sciences; Internet of Things (IoT); insurance; public sector; retail, consumer goods & manufacturing; telecom & media; and a student track. Longtime SAS partners Microsoft and Intel are the sponsors of this year’s Hackathon.
