On October 28^th, 2026, Smart Water Silesia 2026 will take place at the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering, and Industrial Automation of the Silesian University of Technology - an event that uniquely connects the world of business and science. The goal is one: to show how artificial intelligence and machine learning can really change one of the key sectors – water and wastewater management.

The program includes the Smart Water Forum industry conference and the Smart Water Challenge student hackathon, during which participants will work on real industrial data, creating models that solve the real business problems of water companies.

The event will be held under the patronage of the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology - Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk, Minister of Energy Miłosz Motyka and Minister of Infrastructure Dariusz Klimczak, as well as honorary patronage of the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship Wojciech Saługa and the Presidents of Cities: Gliwice, Rybnik and Jastrzębie-Zdrój. The substantive partners of the event are: PWiK Rybnik, Chorzów-Świętochłowice Water and Sewerage Company and PWiK Ruda Śląska. The organizers of the event are the Silesian University of Technology and JSW IT Systems.

AI in the sector that needs it the most

The water and sewage sector is one of the pillars of critical infrastructure and at the same time one of the most energy-intensive sectors of the municipal economy. Rising energy costs, new environmental requirements, the need for digitalisation and the pressure on efficiency mean that modern automation, energy monitoring, data analytics, and artificial intelligence systems are no longer an addition but are becoming a condition for the survival and development of water and sewage companies.

Smart Water Silesia 2026 shows how AI can realistically support this sector – from forecasting to automation of operational decisions.

- We are proud that our Faculty co-creates Smart Water Silesia 2026, and our students can prove themselves in the task that the water and sewage industry faces on a daily basis - explains the Dean of the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation of the Silesian University of Technology, Dr Hab. Eng. Krzysztof Filipowicz, Prof. SUT.

Smart Water Forum: Conference of the water-sewage industry

The conference is dedicated to water and sewage companies, university representatives, and technology companies, which together are looking for answers to the question of how to use modern technologies to build more effective, safe, and energy-efficient organizations. Practical solutions in the field of industrial automation, AKPiA systems, SCADA and process monitoring, energy management, artificial intelligence, and critical infrastructure cybersecurity will be presented.

Registration for the Forum may be completed by following this link: : smartwatersilesia.pl/rejestracja/rejestracja-forum

Real data, real problem, real solution

At the heart of the event is a hackathon, whose participants will solve a real problem: forecasting electricity consumption in sewage treatment plants. This is a key issue for the effective management of energy and the operation of water supply companies on the electricity market.

During the Smart Water Challenge hackathon, student teams will have access to real, anonymized operational data shared by water companies and will work on building machine learning models that predict future energy demand.

The event is addressed to students interested in artificial intelligence, data analysis, programming, and industrial automation.

The prizes provided by the organizers are:

• First place 10,000 PLN
• Second place 5,000 PLN
• Third place   2,000 PLN

Applications run until the 16^th of October 2026. The team can consist of 2 to 4 people, and participation in the event is free of charge. Qualified teams will receive the data and detailed guidelines for the task 10 days before the event, on Monday the 19^th  of October 2026, and on October the 22^nd , 2026, a Q&A online meeting with mentors will be held where participants will be able to ask questions about the task before the challenge begins.

Applications are accepted on the website: smartwatersilesia.pl/rejestracja/rejestracja-challenge

For more about the event go to: https://smartwatersilesia.pl/rejestracja/rejestracja-challenge