Around 300 stakeholders from business, research and public administration came to the opening on February 24, 2026 AI:AT Coworking Hub at SOLARIS in Vienna’s third district. The hub is designed as a work and community space. “The AI Factory is a milestone in strengthening Austria’s digital sovereignty and a central element in the AI ecosystem of Austria as an innovation location,” explains the Innovation and Infrastructure Minister Peter Hankewho also opened the subsequent evening event in the Marx Palast.
The Keynote by Andreas LieblCEO of the appliedAI Initiative, provided an international perspective on the new technological developments. The panel discussion with Xenia Galkina (AI Baseline CEO), Kilian Gross (Director General DG CNECT), Christoph Knogler (CEO, KEBA Group and Head of the Industrial Association’s AI Task Force), Andreas Kugi (Scientific Director, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology), Marta Sabou (Vienna University of Economics and Business) and Henriette Spyra (Head of Section III in the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure) the effects on industry, research and politics were discussed.