"We have everything necessary to develop artificial intelligence-based solutions," says Jacek Jaśkowiak, Mayor of Poznań. "As a city, we work closely with universities and technology partners. We test practical AI applications in public administration and urban spaces. At the same time, we recognize that the development of AI is not based on computing power alone. Trust is equally important, including data sovereignty, a high level of cybersecurity, and clear legal and ethical standards. These are the elements that distinguish Poznań from other cities and make it truly exceptional.
Coherent Ecosystem: Research, Infrastructure, and Skills
Poznań's AI development model is based on close cooperation between the city authorities, universities, and technology partners. Academic institutions in the capital of the region, such as Poznań University of Technology and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (AMU), provide strong research and human capital foundations by educating specialists and carrying out interdisciplinary projects.
Poznań University of Technology has a strong and continuously developing academic and human resources potential in the field of modern digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, says Prof. Teofil Jesionowski, Rector of Poznań University of Technology. The university is a leading provider of highly qualified specialists, educating graduates and developing academic staff who not only possess deep theoretical knowledge of AI algorithms, machine learning, and data analysis but also practical skills in designing, implementing, and integrating these solutions with real-world systems. Researchers and graduates actively participate in research, development, and implementation projects, covering AI applications in urban systems (smart city, transport, energy, infrastructure management) as well as industrial systems (process automation, cyber-physical systems, Industry 4.0).
Thanks to close cooperation with the business and administrative environment, academic potential contributes to the creation of innovative and practical technological solutions.
The Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre and Beyond.pl do provide high-performance computing and network infrastructure as well as expertise in big data processing and other emerging technologies.
AI factories are already operating in Poznań: a scientific one - PIAST AI (Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Centre), part of the nationwide PIONIER network, and a private one - the AI Factory with the F.I.N. supercomputer from Beyond.pl. The city acts as a coordinator and initiator of activities, for example through Poznań CityLab, where practical applications of AI in administration and urban spaces are tested, including projects such as the city's digital twin.
PLASMA (Polish Language Audio Speech Modeling Architecture)
"As part of the cooperation between the AI Center and Beyond.pl AI Factory, we have created the first Polish voice model that allows conversation without using text," says Prof. Krzysztof Jassem, Director of CSI AMU. " To achieve this, we gathered the largest collection of Polish-language recordings so far on Beyond.pl's digital platforms. Based on this dataset, we trained a model that understands Polish speech by breaking it down into so-called voice tokens. As a result, the reasoning process operates directly on speech, rather than through separate stages of speech recognition and text processing.
The model can recognize the speaker's gender, even when it is not evident from the content of their speech. It can also estimate the speaker's age range. Thanks to these capabilities, the model can adapt its responses - for example, adjusting the way it conducts a dialogue. The results of our research represent an important step toward the next technological breakthrough in artificial intelligence: speech-based language models, rather than text-based ones."
Beyond.pl AI Factory as the Foundation of the AI Gigafactory
A special role in this ecosystem is played by the AI Factory developed by Beyond.pl, the first private initiative of its kind in the Central and Eastern Europe region. The supercomputer at the factory provides high-performance computing power for AI through a service-oriented model while maintaining technological sovereignty, full control over data, and compliance with local and European regulations.
Beyond.pl AI Factory is designed for projects requiring large-scale computing, high-density performance, and the highest security standards. Its infrastructure enables the development and deployment of advanced AI models by the public sector, academia, and business without the need to invest in building in-house IT resources.
The Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center plays a key role as the operator of a national research infrastructure node, contributing experience gained from numerous national and European initiatives and ensuring secure data exchange within scientific networks.
Trust and Security as Foundations for Development
Large investments, reliable energy supply, modern connectivity, and Poznań's convenient location between key European markets make the cooperation between the Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center and Beyond.pl a solid foundation for the AI Gigafactory project. This allows it to be implemented faster, more cost-effectively, and without building the entire infrastructure from scratch.
The combination of the universities of Poznań, research projects, infrastructure, and the business offerings of AI factories creates an environment in which AI solutions can be safely scaled in accordance with European regulations. Even today, science, infrastructure, and business in Poznań make it possible to use the computing power of the future AI Gigafactory if it is built here.
The city not only has the necessary technological resources but also a coherent vision and effective cooperation among key partners. This is what makes Poznań recognized as a leading location for large-scale AI infrastructure development in Poland and the Central and Eastern Europe region.
