LLM Engineering Lab at GitHub: Build with Open Models

Friday, November 20, 2026 · 10 AM–5 PM PT
GitHub Bellevue

A workshop and build day with HackerSquad and Akamai Inference Cloud

What changes when you're the one running the model?

Join HackerSquad and Akamai Inference Cloud at GitHub for a full day of hands-on LLM engineering. We'll explore how to run open-weight models on GPUs, experiment with the choices that shape their behavior, and put those ideas to work in a project of your own.

The morning will focus on guided learning. In the afternoon, you'll have time to test ideas, build, and compare what you discover with other developers. We'll close with demos and a discussion of what worked, what didn't, and what to try next.

What we'll explore

• Running open-weight models: Get a model running on GPU infrastructure and understand the resources it needs.

• Quantization: Experiment with reducing model precision and examine the effects on memory use and output quality.

• Context windows: Explore how much context fits alongside your model and what that means for the application you're building.

• Putting it into practice: Turn an experiment into a small application or demo, then share what you learned.

Who this is for

Developers, AI engineers, and technical founders who want practical experience working directly with open-weight models. You should be comfortable writing basic Python and working in a terminal; prior experience running your own models isn't required.

Bring a laptop, charger, and an idea or question you'd like to explore.

Proposed schedule

All times are Pacific Time.

• 10:00 AM — Check-in and setup

• 10:30 AM — Guided LLM engineering workshop

• 12:30 PM — Lunch break

• 1:30 PM — Hands-on building and experiments

• 4:30 PM — Demos and discussion

• 5:00 PM — Wrap-up

The detailed curriculum, instructors, and setup requirements will be announced as the program is finalized.

Attendance is free, space is limited, with registration subject to approval.