The winners of the YPF Hackathon 2025 have been announced!

The results of the YPF Hackathon 2025 were revealed on August 20 during a live-streamed event, marking the culmination of an initiative that brought together talent, innovation, and collaboration from across the region.

Originally announced during South by Southwest (SXSW) at the Casa Argentina organized by the Argentina Texas Chamber of Commerce (ATCC) in Austin, Texas, this hackathon was designed to connect YPF —Argentina’s largest energy company and a leader in shale oil production in Vaca Muerta— with the broader innovation ecosystem, aiming to find practical solutions to real operational challenges.

The open call received proposals from companies in the United States, Latin America, and Argentina, all presenting innovative approaches to address challenges in Argentina’s oil and gas industry. Startups, professionals, students, and tech companies participated virtually, working on three key areas:

• Efficient waste management in industrial facilities
• B2B customer loyalty strategies
• Automation and predictive maintenance for crude oil tanks and industrial equipment

After a rigorous evaluation process, the winners were selected, and their solutions will have the opportunity to be implemented as pilot projects at YPF refineries. Importantly, participants retain full ownership of the intellectual property of their submissions.

Winning Projects

One of the winning projects was TIWI: Intelligent Detection, developed by Init Labs in the tank maintenance category. TIWI is a neural network that integrates thermal imaging with ultrasonic sensor data to detect potential issues in storage tanks. Over the course of the hackathon, the solution evolved into an agentic system, capable of self-learning and making autonomous decisions to optimize predictive maintenance.

“TIWI allows us to combine different data sources and use advanced analytics to anticipate problems before they become critical, bringing concrete innovation to the oil & gas industry. Having YPF validate our product is tremendously valuable—being recognized by YPF is the dream of many SMEs. We are a company from Neuquén with big aspirations, and through this hackathon we wanted to show that in Argentina’s interior there are great ideas and companies ready to contribute; we just need support to make ourselves visible.”

Another award-winning solution tackled one of the industry’s biggest challenges: efficient and sustainable waste management in industrial facilities. The project combined Artificial Intelligence with macroencapsulation techniques to create a closed-loop system that transforms hazardous waste into safe construction materials while optimizing the entire process in real time.

“Our system not only treats waste safely but also turns it into valuable inputs for construction, while predictive AI ensures efficiency throughout the process. Winning this challenge validates that innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand to generate real impact in the industry. This recognition from YPF and ATCC reinforces our commitment to building bridges between technology and the concrete needs of the energy sector to create a more circular future.”

ATCC’s Commitment

At ATCC, we are proud to support initiatives that foster innovation, promote cross-border collaboration, and open new doors for companies across both regions. By connecting talent with opportunity, we continue to strengthen the energy ecosystem and empower businesses to grow, scale, and lead.