Wrocław, often called the “Polish Silicon Valley,” is becoming one of Europe’s most dynamic technology hubs, where AI Solutions in Wrocław and leading software development companies drive innovation and growth. In this rapidly developing city, three pillars of progress intersect: outstanding academic facilities, spectacular achievements of students and faculty in technology competitions, and one of the highest shares of IT companies in the city’s economic structure. Compared to other major hubs such as Warsaw, Kraków, or Poznań, Wrocław stands out with its exceptional concentration of digital skills.
Wrocław as a Driving Force of the Polish IT Sector and AI Solutions in Wrocław
Technology competitions: Wrocław’s students on the podium
The academic community in Wrocław can boast numerous successes in prestigious IT competitions – both nationally and internationally:
- As early as 2017, students from the University of Wrocław achieved international recognition in natural language processing, creating the advanced chatbot “Poetwannabe,” which won the prestigious Conversational Intelligence Challenge @ NIPS 2017 [2]. This was one of the earliest examples in Poland of such a sophisticated conversational system – foreshadowing the potential of technologies that several years later led to the emergence of solutions such as ChatGPT.
- During the AI x Science Hackathon 2025, students from Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Politechnika Wrocławska) won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place [3].
Teams from across Poland joined the challenge, tackling problems at the intersection of science and artificial intelligence – from modeling biological phenomena to predicting experimental data. The teams from Politechnika demonstrated not only high technical proficiency but also strong teamwork and project management skills, earning the recognition of a jury composed of industry experts and researchers. - Winners of national competitions and Olympiads from Wrocław University of Science and Technology (e.g., Krzysztof Ciapa, Oliwia Guzik, Antoni Kamiński) are included in special WCA scholarship programs [4].
This shows that PWr attracts and supports outstanding individuals already at the recruitment stage. The Wrocław Academic Centre’s scholarship programs provide not only financial support but also access to mentors, research laboratories, and participation in prestigious projects and training – enabling the development of talent that often goes on to leading IT companies or continues academic careers.
Universities from Wrocław have also been participating for years in ICPC (International Collegiate Programming Contest) – one of the world’s most important academic programming competitions. Both the University and Politechnika regularly advance to regional and global finals.
Universities as the foundation of Wrocław’s IT ecosystem
A strong academic base builds the technological foundation of the city – the University of Wrocław and Wrocław University of Science and Technology successfully educate IT specialists, achieving high positions in national rankings [1].
This academic potential is complemented by a dynamically growing startup and tech community. Startup Wrocław actively integrates the local ecosystem, supporting innovation, mentoring, and entrepreneurial growth. At the same time, Dolnośląski Fundusz Rozwoju (DFR) provides financing and support for SMEs and innovative projects in the region.
The city also thrives on recurring tech events – meetups and hackathons organized by communities such as meet.js Wrocław, Wrocław Open Source Meetup, or groups like GDG Wrocław and React Native Wrocław, which foster knowledge exchange, networking, and the development of a high-quality technology environment.
Wrocław – one of the leaders of the Polish IT market
Wrocław has undeniably established itself as one of the key centers of the Polish IT sector, often referred to as its “cradle.”
The city stands out with a very high concentration of specialists and a dynamic innovation ecosystem. In recent years, it is estimated that the Wrocław IT sector employed nearly 36,000 specialists [5], placing the city among the top in Poland, just behind Warsaw and Kraków.
Importantly, Lower Silesia, of which Wrocław is the capital, is among the top three largest IT markets in Poland – alongside Mazovia and Małopolska [5]. This structure and pace of growth demonstrate that Wrocław has one of the most technologically specialized economies in the country, confirming its key role in Poland’s IT services sector.
Stermedia – a Practical Example of AI Solutions in Wrocław and Innovation
Wrocław not only educates talent – here, technologies are implemented and developed at the highest level. One of the standout examples is Stermedia.
A team of experts combining science and practice
Stermedia employs specialists with strong academic backgrounds and research experience:
- Dr. Tomasz Juszczyszyn – Senior Data Scientist at Stermedia.ai, graduate of Wrocław University of Science and Technology. In 2023, he was a speaker at the Data & AI Warsaw Tech Summit, presenting implementations in Computer Vision, NLP, and recommendation systems.
- Dr. Grzegorz Żurek – Research & Development Engineer at Stermedia.ai (since June 2022), PhD in technical sciences from Wrocław University of Science and Technology (2021). Previously worked at CancerCenter.ai, developing algorithms for medical image analysis (including histopathology).
Academic and educational presence
Stermedia actively contributes to the education of future specialists. Company representatives deliver lectures and guest classes at Wrocław universities – Piotr Giedziun and Grzegorz Żurek collaborate with Wrocław University of Science and Technology, while Marcin Wierzbicki is engaged with the University of Wrocław. Through these classes, they share practical expertise in artificial intelligence, data science, and the application of modern technologies in business and research.
From research to implementation
Stermedia actively implements AI technologies in the healthcare sector. The company cooperates with the Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology in Warsaw, carrying out a project related to innovative depression screening using artificial intelligence. Details of this collaboration are described in a case study on the Stermedia.ai website, in the section “AI Solutions for Healthcare: Screening Revolutionized” [6].
In addition, the team delivers other commercial software projects and AI implementations, which can be explored in the dedicated Case Studies section.
Summary
Wrocław is widely regarded as the cradle of Polish IT. A strong academic base and international student achievements highlight Wrocław’s role in developing talent and innovation. The high share of IT companies and presence of innovative firms, such as Stermedia, shape a modern technology-driven economy.
Sources:
[1] Perspektywy 2024 University Ranking. Available at: https://2024.ranking.perspektywy.pl
[2] Poetwannabe: A Conversational Chatbot for Context-Aware Question Answering. Available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.08032
[3] Wrocław University of Science and Technology, “Our students among winners of the AI x Science Hackathon.” Available at: https://wit.pwr.edu.pl/en/news/our-students-among-winners-of-the-ai-x-science-hackathon-294.html
[4] Wrocław Academic Centre – Scholarship Programs, “Results for national Olympiad and competition winners.” Available at: https://www.wroclaw.pl/akademicki-wroclaw/wyniki-sps-dla-laureatow-ogolnopolskich-olimpiad-przedmiotowych-i-konkursow-3
[5] Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency (ARAW), “2019 Report on the Wrocław IT sector.” Available at: https://www.wroclaw.pl/biznes/files/Raport_IT_web.pdf
[6] Stermedia AI, “AI Solutions: Healthcare Screening Revolutionized.” Available at: https://stermedia.ai/ai-solutions-healthcare-screening-revolutionized/
