📋 Tender Overview
The City of Vienna has received international recognition with the prestigious "Red Hat Innovation of the Year Award" for its innovative AI application WienKI, based on open source infrastructure. This award recognizes companies that achieve outstanding success with open source technologies. An online vote will now determine which of the four companies preselected by the jury will receive the title of "Innovator of the Year." Please vote and support the innovative strength of the City of Vienna! Vote here: https://www.redhat.com/en/success-stories/cityofvienna Artificial Intelligence for Everyday Work The City is continuously investing in the modernization of its data centers. Last year, Red Hat Open Shift, a new, modern open source container technology, was introduced (LINK: https://digitales.wien.gv.at/modernisierung-rechenzentrum-kubernetes). This is the basis for the WienKI system, with which the City of Vienna has created a modular platform that supports employees with everyday questions. The AI answers questions quickly, competently, and tirelessly, adhering to high compliance and security standards. The application leverages a constantly growing knowledge database based on the city's digital documentation. WienKI provides answers to questions such as "What do I need to consider during video conferences?", "What are the password policies?", and many other processes in a fraction of a second. The platform can also support creative tasks such as writing texts, generating ideas, or creating content. Furthermore, it is suitable for interactive learning and educational purposes by explaining complex concepts and assisting with problem solving. WienKI also lays the foundation for later integrating AI into citizen processes, such as applying for a parking permit. In addition, WienKI uses current Azure OpenAI models as well as open-source models such as Llama, Mistral, and Google Gemma to enable transparent comparability of models for specific use cases. WienKI evaluates submitted files in knowledge databases, generates, tests, and improves code in various programming languages, and provides concrete answers. For two years, employees of the City of Vienna have had the opportunity to test the AI platform in a protected environment and actively participate in its development. Around 1,000 dedicated employees also regularly attend information events to exchange ideas about the latest developments in artificial intelligence and gain practical experience. RedHat Innovation Award Wien Digital (MA 01), the IT department of the City of Vienna, operates the AI platform on City of Vienna servers using RedHat OpenShift, an application platform that enables the automated installation and scaling of services. RedHat OpenShift AI, a machine learning platform that supports AI services on hybrid cloud systems, is also used. The City of Vienna is increasingly relying on open source software to ensure the greatest possible vendor independence for its IT applications. Werner Nabicht, Head of Wien Digital (MA 01), emphasizes: "The award is a testament to our commitment to developing innovative solutions in the field of artificial intelligence. With 'WienKI,' we create added value not only for the employees of the City of Vienna but also for its citizens. We are proud to be part of an open source culture that promotes the exchange of knowledge and ideas and drives digital transformation in Vienna." A jury of international experts evaluated the submissions based on five criteria: business benefits, digital transformation, open source culture, social benefits, and coolness factor. WienKI prevailed against around 150 international projects in the annual challenge and was honored alongside three other projects. Benedikt Schraik, Chief Technology Officer of the City of Vienna, underscores the importance of WienKI: "For us as a public administration, it is crucial to offer stable and reliable services. At the same time, we strive to be technologically at the cutting edge and invest in innovations to continuously improve our services."
