AMD
‍Open Robotics
Hackathon

Registration for the AMD Open Robotics Hackathon is now closed. Thank you for your interest in participating. If you have any questions, please contact ai_dev_contests@amd.com

Introduction

In this challenge, participants are invited to form teams of up to 4 members to build solutions using Hugging Face LeRobot. The goal is to develop a LeRobot application which can help solve real-world problems demonstrating technical proves, creativity and usability.

AMD Open Robotics Hackathon

The Challenge

Contestants must complete BOTH missions to qualify for prizes
Mission 1
  • This is a one-day exploration and preparation mission like ‘hello world’ with the LeRobot.
  • The introductory session begins with an instructor-led hands-on workshop. Participants will learn how to set up the LeRobot development environment end-to-end (Edge to Cloud) using AMD AI solutions.
  • The mission: Pick up a small object and place it in a bin. Example: pick up a plastic toy brick and place it into cup or pick up a pen and place it in a pen holder.
Mission 2
  • This is a two-day freestyle project, participants may stay overnight at the venue if needed for mission completion.
  • Contestants will tackle a real-world problem. Mission 2 results will be judged for prizes.
  • The mission: Freestyle project using the LeRobot. The goal is to find a creative solution to a technical challenge or real-world use case.

Event schedule

November 10, 2025

Registration Opens

December 5-7, 2025

‍Tokyo, Japan
ベルサール秋葉原 ‍

December 12-14, 2025

Paris, France
Station F - 5 Parvis Alan Turing

The hardware

  • AMD will provide SO-101 robotics kits, laptops with AMD Ryzen™ AI processors, and AMD Developer Cloud access with AMD Instinct™ MI300X GPUs for participants to use.
  • Participants are welcome to bring their own robot hardware if desired and leverage AMD laptops and the AMD Developer Cloud.
  • The venues will be available for the duration of the each event for participants to work on their solutions.
  • User guides, examples, and related information will be provided at the start of the contest.
  • Food and refreshments will be available during the duration of the event.

Following are the team prizes for each event

$10,000
First place team
$5,000 (per team)
Two second-place teams
$2,000 (per team)
Five third-place teams

Prizes (per city)

  • Teams deemed winners are eligible to receive one (1) prize only.
  • Winning a prize depends on participants’ ability to complete the missions as specified. If no team completes the missions, AMD reserves the right to refrain from awarding a prize.
  • Prizes are awarded at the sole discretion of AMD after reproduction and verification of results.

Hardware cost reimbursement:

  • The organizers will reimburse the cost of the hardware provided the contestants have procured the hardware after the announcement of the contest and proof of purchase is provided.
  • The reimbursement is capped at $300 / registered team.  
  • Contestants are free to use their hardware if available.
  • AMD will provide free access to AMD Instinct™ MI300X GPUs on the AMD Developer Cloud and a laptop for model inference execution on-site during the hackathon.

Contest Submission

  • All submission must be original, developed specifically for this challenge, and must not have been displayed publicly before submission.
  • Submissions must be posted on Github and shall be made public after the contest closure.
  • Participants must submit all source code as Github repo, training datasets, trained models, training scripts, inference applications, video recording of the missions, and documents as required in the contest.

Registration and Eligibility

  • Hackathon registration is open to teams of up to 4 members (ages 18+) - see registration form below.
  • Registration is required due to limited venue capacity and hardware availability. Only teams who receive an approval confirmation email can participate in the event.  
    • Recommended technical proficiency:
      • Strong Linux development skills
        • OS installation like Ubuntu
        • Development environment setup within Linux
        • Experience with Python, Scirpt, pip, conda, uv, docker
      • Machine Learning Skill
        • Familiar with PyTorch
        • Hands-on experience about model inference and training
      • Experience with LeRobot and embedded development
      • Experience with ROCm is a plus
  • Contestants must use the same registered email address for their submission.
  • The challenge is open to teams of up to four (4) members.
  • All team members must register using their legal name and contact details, as well as the name of the team they are affiliated to.
  • Participants must be 18 years or older or of the age of majority in their country as of October 30, 2025.
    • All participants must:
      • Have a valid Discord ID
      • Have a valid GitHub ID
  • For questions: email: ai_dev_contests@amd.com

Not eligible

  • Individuals who are nationals of Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or any country subject to U.S. export controls or sanctions, regardless of legal residency, are ineligible to participate. This includes individuals listed on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Entity List or the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, as well as those employed by or representing entities on these lists.
    Residents of the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions are also excluded. Employees of the Sponsor, its affiliates, subsidiaries, and agents, along with their immediate family members (defined as parents, children, siblings, spouse, or domestic partner) and household members, are not eligible.

How to qualify to win the team prize

  • All teams must complete both missions.  
  • Only Mission 2 will be judged for prizes.
  • Judges will assess the submissions at the event and announce the winners.
  • Contestants must submit a link to the Github repository containing the code used for both missions. The repository should include the training code, documentation, a link to the training dataset (e.g., on Hugging Face), the trained model, and any additional assets required to reproduce the work.
  • Contestants must also record a video demo of the final application.
  • AMD reserves the right to replicate the missions to verify results and determine winners.

Judging Criteria

Winners will be scored on a 100-point scale

    • 70 Points: Successful completion of Mission 2 and submission of all deliverables
      1. Creativity (30)
      2. Technical difficulty (20)
      3. Ease of use (10)
      4. Real-world use case (10)
  • 30 Points: Submission of all deliverables (repo, video, doc, dataset, models, etc.)

How are Prizes Awarded?

Limit one (1) prize per team. In the event of a tie between any eligible entries, the tie is broken based on the judging criteria described above. The decisions of the judges are final and binding. If we do not receive a sufficient number of entries meeting the entry requirements, we may, in our sole discretion, select fewer winners than the number of prizes described above.

Winners will be announced at the event and if you are a potential winner, we may require you to sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability/Publicity Release, and/or a W-9 tax form or W-8 BEN tax form within ten (10) days of notification. You are advised to seek independent counsel regarding the tax implications of accepting a prize. If you do not complete the required forms as instructed and/or return the required forms within the time period listed on the winner notification message, we may disqualify you and select a runner-up as the potential winner. If you are confirmed as a winner of this contest, the following rules apply: You may not exchange your prize for cash or any other merchandise or services. However, if for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, we reserve the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. You may not designate someone else as the winner. If you are unable or unwilling to accept a prize, we may award it to a runner-up. You will be solely responsible for all applicable federal, state, and local taxes related to accepting the prize, if you choose to accept the prize. If a prize is awarded to a project submitted by a team, the designated representative will be the sole recipient of said prize, unless otherwise agreed upon in writing by the representative and his/her team.

Code of Conduct

Entries may NOT contain ANY of the following content:

  • Content that is sexually explicit, profane, or pornographic.
  • Content that is unnecessarily violent or derogatory of any ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious, professional, or age group.
  • Content that promotes illegal drugs, firearms/weapons (or the use of any of the foregoing) or a particular political agenda.
  • Content that defames, misrepresents or contains disparaging remarks about any third-party, including individuals or organizations.
  • Content that communicates messages or images inconsistent with the positive images and/or goodwill to which we wish to associate.
  • Content that violates any federal, state, or local law.
  • Harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behavior will result in disqualification.
  • AMD reserves the right to disqualify any participant or team at its sole discretion.
Challenge policy