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August 07, 2024

Beyond coding: Marvell puts a new spin on its annual hackathon

By Noam Mizrahi, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, Marvell

At Marvell, it’s a summer tradition for us to host an exciting two-day hackathon that invites our interns from around the world to research and propose solutions to a real-life problem. I’m thrilled to witness the creativity and innovation that these young minds bring to the table every year.

This year, we asked our interns to explore, How can Marvell harness AI’s potential? Unlike traditional hackathons that focus solely on coding, we encourage interns from all disciplines – technical and non-technical – to contribute their unique perspectives. This approach ensures we capture a wide range of insights and ideas, which is crucial in today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Many of these young innovators burned the midnight oil, connecting virtually over Zoom to accommodate the various global time zones of their team members. In the process, they learned how to build relationships across business units, countries, and functions. Being early in their careers also meant being exposed to the importance of communication, organization, and leadership skills, as well as the power of collaboration.

Here's what some of our interns took away from the experience:

  • Daniel Chua, Digital Design Engineer Intern: "It was amazing how quickly we formed bonds with new team members and figured out how to collaborate across time zones. Brainstorming and innovating on a topic so relevant to our industry was incredibly exciting. Overall, it’s been a fantastic experience!

  • Diane Pillsbury, Register Transfer Level (RTL) Design Engineer Intern: "Collaborating with people from different disciplines and time zones was fascinating! Seeing the diverse approaches to the same question opened my eyes. It was also a great technical exercise, reading through research papers and figuring out how novel concepts could be applied in the industry.

  • Emma Johnson, Technical Writing Intern: "Even though I'm pursuing Software Engineering, my non-engineering role allowed me to contribute to editing, formatting, proposal writing, and planning. My opinions were valued, and I truly felt like a part of the final product despite my nontechnical perspective. We even joked that our submission would look and read the best because of my input!"

Emma’s experience highlights how her non-technical skills were just as crucial in this hackathon as those of an engineer’s. This approach of going beyond coding allows diverse perspectives and talents to shape the final solutions, and I believe it is one of the reasons our hackathon is so impactful.

Earlier this month, five Marvell executives chose the winning team after an initial round judged by intern managers around the world. It’s always difficult to award just one top concept because all participants offer valuable perspectives and fresh thinking. The event is one of my favorite times of the year because there are so many energetic and bright minds entering technical fields and joining Marvell!

Visit our University Recruiting careers page or find us at a career fair or technical presentation on your campus! You can also check out internship opportunities on your school’s job board page.

Tags: What Makes Marvell

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