Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Elitery have expanded the CendekiAwan Malaysia Program with Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) to empower students in AI application development.
Sergio M. Loureiro, vice president of Global Data Centre Operations at AWS, said: “In the first phase of CendekiAwan, Malaysian students showed us they could build generative AI applications from scratch. In this second phase at APU, they went further, using Amazon Bedrock and Kiro to develop structured, production-ready applications that address real challenges in healthcare, education, and financial inclusion. That progression is what builds a true AI-ready workforce.”
Advancing student AI application development
In the 2026 phase with APU, 2,500 students from its tech and non-tech disciplines completed a three-month generative AI development program. It builds on the first phase of CendekiAwan Malaysia, in which more than 13,000 students across six universities developed their own generative AI applications using PartyRock.
The winning teams are:
● ‘GovTech’ (citizen services) and Social Impact: Team Viltrum with City Mind MY application
● Smart Education: Team EC 1+1 with LangHub application
● Financial Inclusion and SME Empowerment: Team Internelligence with SMEwise application
● Digital Health: Team Mediguard with MediGuard application
● Sustainable Environment and Climate: Team Whoopie with See You CO2 application
AWS provides APU students with 12 months of AWS Skill Builder access along with instructor-led training, including hands-on labs and certification preparation, through on-campus learning environments. Elitery has trained approximately 50 lecturers and student leaders as “AI Champions,” facilitators to guide future cohorts of students on their journey.
“Our role is to make this program operational at the university level: training lecturers to deliver the curriculum, supporting student teams through each phase, and ensuring the pathway runs consistently,” said Kresna Adiprawira, president director of Elitery.
Prof. Ir. EUR ING Dr Vinesh Thiruchelvam, chief innovation and enterprise officer at APU, said: “The students who reached the finals using Amazon Bedrock and Kiro can now show a prospective employer not just a concept, but a functional application they built and shipped themselves.”
