On March 27, Kazakhstan launches Decentrathon 5.0 — the country’s largest multi-location IT hackathon. This year the event will take place in 20 cities at once and bring together developers, designers, startup teams and the tech community from all regions.

The organizers are Astana Hub together with the Blockchain & AI Technology Center, supported by the Ministry of Digital Development and Artificial Intelligence of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The hackathon will be part of the national technology forum Digital Qazaqstan, which this year will be held in Shymkent for the first time.

More than three thousand developers and about one and a half thousand teams are expected to take part. Participants will have to create technology solutions in two key areas — artificial intelligence and blockchain. The projects will be developed over several days with the support of mentors, industry experts and representatives of IT companies.

The event will kick off offline in Shymkent, after which the teams will continue working on their projects online. Participants will have nine days to develop their solutions, after which the best teams will present their projects at the final presentation.

According to the organizers, the hackathon aims to develop the tech community and involve young specialists in creating practical digital solutions. Such events allow participants not only to test ideas but also to get the opportunity to further develop their projects, attract investment and enter the market.

Decentrathon is held as part of the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Kazakhstan and is seen as one of the key platforms for shaping a new generation of IT specialists and developing the domestic technology ecosystem.