Overview

img: Main Stage - Streaming game trailers and AI technologies related videos
The NVIDIA RTX AI PC Day in Coimbatore took place on Friday, January 23, 2026, at the CODISSIA Trade Center from 09:30 to 18:30. There’s no entry fee, and it’s open to anyone. This event was a major technological showcase for gamers, creators, and developers to experience next-generation AI powered by NVIDIA’s latest RTX 50 series GPUs. It attracted more than 15,000 registrations(as far as I know, maybe more!).

Highlights & Activities

On-spot Gaming Zones

img: Custom built PCs & new NVIDIA RTX 50 series GPUs
  • Hands-on gaming stations ranged from standard setups to immersive simulations on high-performance rigs with 4K resolutions.
  • A massive TV at the entrance drew the biggest crowds as I entered the hall, showcasing titles like Ghost of Tsushima, F1, Horizon Zero Dawn, and more.
  • A dedicated F1 simulator station with a steering controller setup had a huge line waiting to try it.
  • Around 20 gaming stations highlighted various setups, from desktops to laptops.
  • A CS2 tournament was also held, streamed live on the main projector screen.
  • Unfortunately, I didn’t get to play much; I mostly watched. I finally found an available PC, but they only allowed DOOM: The Dark Ages, which I hadn’t played before, so I moved on.

AI Demos

img: AI Image Generation
  • Interactive demos featured AI technologies, including AI-generated images using NVIDIA tools. Some PCs demonstrated AI model training, while others explored 3D applications. I found the AI demos a bit boring.

In simple terms, I barely got to play, and the event felt poorly managed(IMHO). Frequent breaks disrupted everything without giving prior information to those in line. I waited over 90 minutes for Valorant, only to learn it was lunchtime and to return after 2 hours. When I did, creator meetups had crowded the place. Still, at least I saw tons of high-end, custom-built PCs, enjoyed some smooth gameplay demos and I got to have some fun times with my friends as well.

Unexpected Meeting with Linux Folks

I wore a Fedora logo T-shirt hoping to connect with open source and Linux enthusiasts - which is rare to see here in Coimbatore. Luckily, I met passionate college students deeply into Linux and open source projects.

img: Students from Erode Govt Engineering College & SNS College of Engineering

They first noticed my Fedora T-shirt and asked if they could chat with me for a bit. We discussed open source, what Fedora Linux and the Fedora Project are, the available teams in the Fedora Project community, how I started from CommOps to the Infra team, the ongoing Forgejo migration from Pagure, doubts on developing desktop applications for KDE, and more.

Students from Erode Government Engineering College such Bharath Kumar & Valla Arasan were interested in establishing a FOSS club at their school; these kinds of clubs are uncommon, and I was thrilled to learn there are real FOSS enthusiasts in our district.

Students from SNS College of Engineering were really curious to talk to, and I learned that most of them use Linux as their daily driver, with some into “ricing.” Although I didn’t see anyone using Fedora Linux, I’m happy to have found these wonderful students from around here using Linux. It’s actually insane that so many people here use Linux when almost everyone else uses Windows; it’s really nice to see some change here.

But overall, we had nice talk and some students even messaged me on LinkedIn for guidance on FOSS club & Open Source as well.

My Thoughts

Events like these are rare in Coimbatore, but I’m looking forward to upcoming ones. I had a wonderful time with my friends and was fortunate to meet a bunch of FOSS and Linux enthusiasts. I’m really happy to know so many people use Linux and are aware of open source and free software. I look forward to attending more events in the future, representing the Fedora Project and advocating for FOSS. A couple of my friends even asked me to help them make their first open source contribution after seeing the students’ curiosity. I believe this occasion was a win-win for me.

Closing

img: waiting for public transport bus to arrive, 3 hours of travel to reach home.
We stayed until the end of the event. The organizers didn’t expect such a huge amount of people for an event like this in Coimbatore and were surprised by the response. I hope they host more now that they’ve seen the potential here.

Finally, we left the auditorium, and I waited for the bus. It took around 30 minutes to arrive. I waited from 19:00, got the bus at 19:30, and reached home by 23:00 after 3 hours of travel. It was a long day, especially traveling from my village to the city and back, which is always tough.