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»ÆÉ«²Ö¿â Made holds an annual ‘hackathon’, a fast-paced entrepreneurial event where student teams race to solve real-world problems within a very short timescale.

This year Team EcoSynergy were overall winners, scooping their share of a £3k prize fund. The team, comprising ten Computing, Engineering and Media (CEM) students who had never met before the event, impressed with their pitch to reduce the emissions of AI data centres.

Winning team member PhD student Timothi Lim explains what happened and how it felt to emerge victorious…

Ten strangers from across the CEM programmes met for the first time at the 2025 »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â-Made CEM Hackathon. Within seven days, from 1-8 May, we brainstormed, prototyped, and pitched a solution that won first prize.

Before the event, I would have doubted that a newly formed team could achieve such cohesion so quickly. Yet this hackathon proved that collaboration can be both productive and exhilarating.

Real-world problems

Our catalyst was the hackathon brief, themed around rising energy demand at data centres with the mounting problem of e-waste. Power-hungry technologies like AI are a global issue as they increasingly threaten progress toward the Paris 2030 emission targets.

This was our task: “Using design thinking and entrepreneurial skills, propose innovative and sustainable solutions to make these technologies more environmentally and socially responsible.”

The challenge resonated with every member of the team, whether their background was mechatronics, computer science, mechanical engineering or data analytics, because it linked our studies to an urgent, real-world problem. Motivation alone was not enough, though - we had to translate it into action quickly.

Early in the week we held an epic three-hour discussion to surface every idea, debate merits and risks, and settle on a concept we all believed in. That intense session forged a shared vision and clarified how each individual could contribute.

Having representatives from General Electric (GE) Vernova added industry insight and validated our proposal's practical credibility. Their feedback and probing questions reinforced my own belief that collaboration between industry and academia, and across generations, is essential to solving global problems. Experienced professionals can unlock resources and shed light on ongoing initiatives, while students bring fresh perspectives and innovation.

The EcoSynergy pitch

Our pitch focused on several areas where AI data centres could operate more energy-efficiently. These included:

• Using a ‘slimmer’ AI model for more simple queries, with a more heavyweight model only activated when needed
• Carbon‑aware routing to schedule non‑urgent jobs for hours when the grid is greenest
• A prototype dashboard for users to track the carbon footprint of their AI use
• Harvesting heat blown off by server fans

Our modelling estimated a drop of around 55% in electricity use with these innovations, creating significant financial savings for both users and AI providers.

In summary, "Distil the model, cascade the calls, shift the load, sell the heat" is our four‑step, revenue‑positive solution. This would let cities, and GE Vernova, grow AI while hitting net‑zero and delivering safer, greener communities for all.

From competition to mission

Winning the hackathon validated our hard work, but the real success lay in what we learned. One, that strangers can form effective teams when united by a clear, meaningful goal, two, that diverse skills can accelerate innovation, and three, that purpose drives engagement. Knowing our project might help preserve the planet turned a competition into a mission.

For finalists about to graduate, the hackathon experience confirmed that our ideas matter in the wider world. For first-year participants, it gave their studies new significance beyond grades or employment prospects.

All of us left with a sharper awareness of carbon emissions, data-centre footprints, and the unseen mountains of e-waste, and with the confidence that even small, well-focused efforts can prompt positive change.

Timothi Lim is studying for a PhD at »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â in ‘Mixed Reality Incorporating Generative AI and Real-Time Data’. You can .

»ÆÉ«²Ö¿â Made offers entrepreneurial skills support for students and graduates.

Find out how you could win cash prizes with your business ideas via the annual Pitch2Win competition and other »ÆÉ«²Ö¿â Made activities .