From Curiosity to Global Triumph: The Italian Champions of the 2025 Digital Skills Cup

What begins as a simple interest can sometimes spark a lasting passion—just ask Matteo De Gobbi and Nur Arifin Akbar, two exceptional talents who turned dedication and curiosity into global victories at the 2025 Digital Skills Cup.

Organized by the Leading Learning Partners Association (LLPA)—a worldwide network of IT training providers—the Digital Skills Cup challenges competitors in categories spanning AI, software development, and cybersecurity. In Italy, the event is promoted and coordinated by Pipeline, LLPA’s official national partner.

Matteo De Gobbi: AI Visionary

A master’s student in Computer Engineering at the University of Padua, Matteo has found his calling in artificial intelligence and its real-world applications. Representing Italy in the AI Pro category, he won the national competition before claiming the global title against finalists from over 25 countries.

The contest combined theoretical and practical challenges on AI concepts and cloud services. “The AI questions were more familiar, but Azure was new territory,” Matteo recalls. “I relied on reasoning and elimination.” His strategic thinking paid off—earning him recognition both nationally and internationally.

Beyond competition, Matteo’s research has also made waves. A university Deep Learning project led to his co-authored publication, Advancing Taxonomy with Machine Learning: A Hybrid Ensemble for Species and Genus Classification, furthering his expertise while contributing to scientific progress.

Nur Arifin Akbar: The Dual Champion

Winning one category is impressive—winning two is extraordinary. Originally from Indonesia and now a PhD student at the University of Palermo under the Marie Curie – EnTrust program, Nur Arifin claimed both the IT Developer and IT Security global titles.

With achievements including the EU SocioDigithon and a silver medal at the UN’s World Innovation Day Hackathon, his philosophy is simple: “Never stop learning.” Entering the Digital Skills Cup with modest expectations, he relied on fundamentals rather than memorizing tools. “If you understand how things work, you can adapt to any language or technology.”

Nur Arifin’s mindset extends beyond academia—he aims to build a portfolio of impactful projects. His view on AI is pragmatic: “AI doesn’t steal jobs. Ignorance does. We lose jobs when we stop learning and adapting. Efficiency is the real driver.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Both Matteo and Nur Arifin embody the spirit of continuous learning, adaptability, and innovation. The Digital Skills Cup gave them more than titles—it offered growth, recognition, and the chance to connect with a global community of digital talent.

With LLPA partners in over 55 countries, the journey doesn’t end here. The next champions are already preparing. As Matteo and Nur Arifin show, success comes to those who stay curious, master the fundamentals, and never stop pushing their limits.