Teen Coder from Karnataka Joins Elite List of GSoC 2025 Contributors

Jun 06, 2025, 12:25 IST

In an exceptionally rare achievement, 17-year-old Sauhard Gupta from Karnataka has been selected for the prestigious Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2025 program.

GSoC receives over 23,000 applications annually from aspiring developers worldwide, yet only around 5%—including just 150 to 200 students from India—are accepted. Most of the selected participants are typically final-year undergraduates or postgraduate students, given the high technical demands of the program. This makes Gupta’s selection, as a first-year student, all the more remarkable.

Currently enrolled at Scaler School of Technology (SST) in Bengaluru, Gupta’s achievement stands out not only due to his age but also because of the complexity of the project he has been chosen to contribute to.

Announcing the achievement on LinkedIn, Gupta said he will be working on the Android Virtual Printer Application, a tool designed to simulate printer behaviour for developers working in environments without access to physical printers.

Explaining the project, Gupta said, “The virtual printer application allows ChromeOS and Android teams, third-party developers, and QA engineers to reliably test printing functionalities.”

His journey into open-source began during his high school years. Over time, he built a strong portfolio by continuously improving his skills and contributing to collaborative projects. He credits his growth to peer learning, participation in hackathons, and consistent community involvement.

Launched by Google in 2005, GSoC pairs selected contributors with mentors from global open-source organizations. Participants work remotely on real-world projects over a 12-week period and receive a stipend based on the project’s scope. Upon completion, Gupta will receive a stipend of ₹1.28 lakh.

As part of his GSoC project, Gupta will collaborate with the Chromium team—an opportunity he describes as “an incredible chance to contribute to a project that can make a real difference in the developer community.”