Samsung Awards Chandigarh University Student Rs1Lakh AI Topper
On July 18, 2026, in Chandigarh, India, Samsung announced that Devesh Panwar, a final‑year Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) student at the University Institute of Computing (UIC) of Chandigarh University, was named the Punjab State Topper in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) stream of the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program. The program was organised by Samsung in collaboration with the Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) and the training partner Focal Skill Development (Focalyt) to equip Indian youth with industry‑relevant skills in AI, IoT, Big Data, and Coding & Programming.
Devesh Panwar received a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, a laptop, and exclusive Samsung rewards for achieving the topper title. In his statement, he described the accolade as a moment of profound pride and validation, emphasizing that intensive technical training and a passion for AI culminated in this honor. He highlighted that the Samsung Innovation Campus provided state‑of‑the‑art tools, hands‑on experience, and world‑class knowledge that enabled him to apply AI to real‑world challenges, particularly in aeronautical and technical domains.
During the SIC AI Program, Panwar and his team developed an advanced AI‑powered system called the AI Research Agent, a Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) platform designed for intelligent querying of private document collections. The system targets organisations, researchers, legal professionals, and HR teams that manage large document repositories. Panwar explained that traditional search methods rely heavily on keyword matching and require significant manual effort, often lacking contextual understanding, retrieval accuracy, learning adaptability, and response speed. By integrating modern RAG architecture with innovative retrieval and reasoning mechanisms, the AI Research Agent delivers faster response generation, combines full‑stack development, database systems, and intelligent automation, and offers a fast, intelligent, user‑friendly solution for knowledge discovery and resume evaluation.
Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director of Chandigarh University, congratulated Panwar and noted that the achievement reflects the university’s focus on experiential learning and industry‑academia collaboration. Sandhu stated that the Samsung Innovation Campus AI Program gives CU students practical exposure to AI and real‑world problem solving, reinforcing the university’s commitment to building a future‑ready talent pool equipped with advanced capabilities in AI, IoT, Big Data, and coding. He highlighted CU’s Institute of Computing (UIC) as a hub that prepares students for successful computing careers through hands‑on approaches, industry‑sponsored labs, an industry‑aligned curriculum, and accreditations from leading technology firms such as Intel, Microsoft, Google Android, and Red Hat.
Sandhu also cited the latest QS World University Rankings 2027, where Chandigarh University achieved an overall world rank of 526, improving by 49 places from its 575th position in the 2026 rankings. This marks the fifth consecutive year of upward movement, with the university climbing 274 places since its 800th rank in the 2023 edition. Domestically, CU rose to All‑India rank 13, up from rank 16 in 2026, placing it in the top 1 percent of Indian universities and the top 2 percent globally. The university, which holds a NAAC A+ grade, is an autonomous institution approved by the UGC, located near Chandigarh in Punjab, and is the youngest private university in the state to receive the A+ grade. CU offers more than 109 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and other fields, and has been recognised as “University with Best Placements” by the World Corporate Rankings (WCRC).