SoftServe opens the new Big Data & Cloud office in Warsaw, Poland

During the event inaugurating the operation of the new Warsaw headquarters of the company in Q22 building, a debate was held entitled "City and technology - will Big Data and haptic technologies change the face of cities? Will a Meta Human become an official? How can business support cities and what does it need to work effectively?”. The panel was attended by representatives of the City of Warsaw, IT experts and representatives of the business world.

«Opening an office in Warsaw is of strategic importance to us. Warsaw is a unique city, not just Poland’s capital, but the capital of technology development, the easiest place to meet people who work on it every day. Warsaw is also close to other European capitals and is well connected to them, which facilitates the creative exchange of ideas. The largest technology companies also have their headquarters here. The fact that many people who came from Ukraine over a year ago have found a home here is of great importance to us, too. We sincerely care about building and supporting this community», - said Sebastian Drzewiecki, Country Manager SoftServe Poland.

The panel discussion that took place during the opening was attended by Magdalena Jadziewicz-Kasak, Deputy Director, Warsaw City Hall, IT Office; Paweł Panczyj, Member of The Board Strategy & Partnerships at ABSL; Volodymyr Semenyshyn, EMEA Division President at SoftServe and Daria Hemmerling PhD, Eng., senior R&D Engineer at SoftServe.

One of the main topics of the debate was the ways in which technology can change the everyday functioning of city residents. In this context, great hopes can be placed on haptic technologies - they have the potential to revolutionize cities. An example of their practical application is the solution created by SoftServe experts: The Know Your Future with Alnair - a human-like creature based on artificial intelligence that can predict the future. Participants of the office opening could test AInair.

Specialists from SoftServe have developed their own neural network for facial recognition which captures a visitor’s photo using a webcam and generates a digital avatar in real time. Haptic technology uses ultrasonic waves to create touch in the air. Thanks to the motion control camera, it can track the exact position of a person's hand. In this way, visitors feel as if they are making physical contact with Alnair.

«Thanks to the use of the latest technologies in urban infrastructure, the lives of residents and citizens are simpler, many things can be done much faster. Haptic solutions allow us to go to the next, higher level. We can gain experiences that were inaccessible not long ago. For example, when visiting museums, each of us can stroke a mammoth or take a valuable work of art in our hands, The Warsaw authorities also can see practical opportunities for the city's development thanks to the latest technologies», - said Daria Hemmerling, Senior R&D Engineer at SoftServe Poland.

The practical possibilities of city development thanks to the latest technologies are also recognized by the Warsaw authorities.

«As one of the cities applying for the title of European Capital of Innovation, Warsaw is betting on technological development to support our citizens and residents. We are working with other cities, including Łódź and Wrocław, to jointly take advantage of constantly emerging opportunities. We are committed to significantly speeding up service to residents at government offices and improving their experience. Another area we want to develop with technology is environmental protection, we are investing in state-of-the-art solutions to measure water or electricity consumption», – said Magdalena Jadziewicz-Kasak, Deputy Director IT Department of Warsaw City Hall.

The panelists also discussed how cooperation between the business sector and cities should be conducted to ensure optimal conditions for developing new technologies. Cities, acting as laboratories of everyday life, can provide real test scenarios for innovative solutions, while business brings the know-how necessary to implement these technologies on a mass scale. Long-term and effective synergy between the public and private sectors will accelerate the adaptation of modern solutions, creating smart, sustainable and innovative cities. However, for such a scenario to become real, one condition must be met: both cities and companies must jointly support the development of the talent pool.