Google DeepMind × Cactus Compute
Global Gemini Hackathon Handbook
Agentic Systems. Local-First. Edge + Cloud.
1. What This Hackathon Is
This is a five-city, one-day global build sprint organized by:
- Google DeepMind
- Cactus Compute
- AI Tinkerers
Across multiple cities, curated rooms of engineers are building agentic systems that:
- Run locally on-device using FunctionGemma
- Execute via Cactus Compute runtime
- Escalate to Gemini APIs in the cloud when needed
This is not a slide-deck hackathon.
It’s a room full of engineers shipping real systems — mobile, desktop, and hybrid — that push inference closer to the user without giving up frontier reasoning when necessary.
If you care about:
- Local-first AI
- Latency, privacy, offline capability
- Agentic workflows that ship
- Real trade-offs between edge + cloud
You’re in the right room.
2. The Technical Stack
🧠 Gemini (Cloud Reasoning Layer)
Role in this hackathon:
- Complex reasoning
- Long-context workflows
- Heavy planning tasks
- Fallback when local models aren’t enough
You are expected to:
- Use Gemini APIs intentionally
- Demonstrate clear escalation logic
- Justify when and why cloud reasoning is required
🌵 Cactus Compute (Local Runtime)
Role in this hackathon:
- Run AI locally on mobile devices and Macs
- Enable low-latency agent execution
- Reduce cloud dependency
- Maintain offline capability
You should think about:
- What must run locally?
- What benefits from local execution?
- Where does escalation make sense?
⚙️ FunctionGemma (On-Device Model)
Role in this hackathon:
- Fast, lightweight on-device inference
- Tool coordination locally
- Immediate UX interactions
You are encouraged to:
- Push FunctionGemma as far as it can reasonably go
- Design agents that degrade gracefully
- Treat cloud escalation as a decision — not a default
3. The Core Challenge
Build an agentic application that intelligently decides:
Where should this computation run — locally or in the cloud?
Your system should consider:
- Latency
- Privacy sensitivity
- Offline constraints
- Cost
- Capability differences
- Energy usage (optional but encouraged)
We are looking for architectural thinking, not just model usage.
4. Example Directions (Not Constraints)
These are prompts — not rails:
- Offline-first AI assistant with cloud escalation
- Local agents coordinating tools and workflows
- Privacy-preserving AI apps that minimize data exfiltration
- Hybrid inference pipelines across edge + cloud
- New UX patterns unlocked by on-device intelligence
- Context-aware switching between FunctionGemma and Gemini
If it ships and makes a strong architectural argument, it belongs.
5. Rules & Requirements
Team Structure
- Teams of 1–4 builders
- Solo builders welcome
- Team formation deadline: 10:30 AM (local time)
Required Submission Components
Every team must submit:
- A working demo
- Architecture explanation
- Explicit use of:
- FunctionGemma and/or
- Gemini APIs
- Clear description of trade-offs
Projects without a functioning demo will not advance to finals.
6. Judging Criteria
We evaluate across five dimensions:
1️⃣ Architectural Clarity
- Is the edge/cloud split intentional?
- Is escalation logic explicit?
- Are trade-offs defensible?
2️⃣ Technical Execution
- Does it run?
- Is the local inference real?
- Is Gemini used meaningfully?
3️⃣ Agentic Design
- Does the system plan?
- Does it coordinate tools?
- Is it more than a chat wrapper?
4️⃣ UX & Practicality
- Does local execution improve the experience?
- Would someone use this?
5️⃣ Ambition
- Did you push the boundary?
- Did you try something non-trivial?
We reward shipping, not theory.
7. Schedule (All Cities)
| Time |
Activity |
| 8:30 AM |
Doors open, breakfast & networking |
| 9:00 AM |
Welcome + technical overview |
| 10:00 AM |
Hacking begins |
| 10:30 AM |
Team formation deadline |
| 5:30 PM |
Project submissions due |
| 6:00 PM |
Preliminary judging |
| 7:00 PM |
Final demos |
| 8:00 PM |
Winners announced |
| 8:30 PM |
Event concludes |
Local variations may apply by city.
8. Prizes
The following prizes are standardized across all cities:
🥇 1st Place — $5,000 in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) credits
🥈 2nd Place — $2,500 in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) credits
🥉 3rd Place — $1,000 in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) credits
Additional prizes may be announced on-site in each city.
9. What Makes This Different
This is an AI Tinkerers room.
That means:
- Every attendee is curated
- Most are actively shipping AI systems
- Debugging happens live
- Architecture debates are real
- There is no “idea-stage networking”
We favor:
- Demos over decks
- Code over slides
- Trade-offs over hype
If it doesn’t run, it doesn’t count.
10. Builder Expectations
You are expected to:
- Respect other builders’ time
- Ship something real
- Be explicit about trade-offs
- Share patterns you discover
- Keep sponsor interaction technical
This is a technical room.
11. Media & Recording
The event may be photographed or recorded.
By attending, you consent to:
- Event photography
- Demo recordings
- Short-form recap clips
If you need specific demo material removed for confidentiality, notify organizers immediately after your demo.
12. Data & Privacy
Default policy:
- Aggregated reporting only
- No personal attendee data shared without opt-in
- GDPR / CCPA compliant handling
If you escalate data to cloud inference, explain how you handle:
- User consent
- Sensitive inputs
- Storage decisions
Architectural ethics matter.
Final Reminder
This is not a hype event.
It’s a builder room.
Push the boundary.
Ship something real.
Explain your trade-offs.
Code talks. Hype walks.
