HackOut’25, the 12th edition of the annual hackathon, was a continuous 72-hour coding competition held from August 29-31, 2025. As a key event of Synapse’26, it blended innovation with practical application. The Chief Guest of the event was Dr Narottam Sahoo, Advisor at GUJCOST, DST, and Guests of Honour were Mr Rajendra Mistri, General Manager at GPCL, and Mr Nilesh Ranpura, Senior Director at eInfochips. Synapse is the annual techno-cultural festival of Dhirubhai Ambani University (Formerly DA-IICT).

This year's central themes, the Blue Carbon Ecosystem and Green Hydrogen Fuel, underscored a strong focus on sustainability and energy innovation. These themes were in line with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically focusing on initiatives related to climate action and clean energy. The event witnessed an overwhelming response, with over 3,500 participants in the online round, out of which 1,500 students were shortlisted through an online assessment for the offline hackathon. Participants came from premier institutions across India, including IIT Gandhinagar, SVNIT Surat, PDEU Gandhinagar, Nirma University, DDU Nadiad, and IIIT Vadodara, as well as almost all engineering colleges from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, and several other reputed institutions nationwide.

After multiple evaluation rounds—ideation, mid-evaluation, and final submission—the top 15 teams presented their projects before an esteemed panel of judges. The competition’s evaluation process was thorough, with the top teams presenting their innovative solutions.

The top prizes were awarded to the following teams:

• First Prize (₹35,000): Placement-ke-Pyaase
  Their platform features advanced tools for strategic site selection and investment planning, including interactive map visualisation and real-time feasibility scoring. Using AI, it offers insights into hydrogen infrastructure, project recommendations, and instant viability assessments.
• Second Prize (₹25,000): Vibe Coders
  They developed a map-based interactive platform that visualises the current green hydrogen infrastructure and overlays critical data points. It leverages optimisation models to guide the cost-effective placement of new hydrogen projects.
• Third Prize (₹15,000): The Titanic Is Syncing
  Their solution parallelises API calls to significantly reduce runtime and combines machine learning with satellite indices (TDVI, NDWI) for precise green hydrogen site selection. It delivers an AI-powered, map-driven platform with over 800 verified data entries for reliable investment decisions.

HackOut’25 also featured career guidance and international education sessions, alongside a DJ night that added an element of fun and relaxation for all participants.