Salzburg’s focus areas can be found in business informatics, trade and banking sectors, control and regulation technology, special mechanical engineering, as well as access systems for leisure and sports facilities. Salzburg is also home to developers of industrial and business software, delivering cutting-edge technology for industrial automation worldwide.
Apart from the IT industry, it is the headquarters and leading companies from other sectors that have their own system houses, data hubs, or IT development departments in Salzburg, revealing themselves as exciting technology companies upon closer inspection. Innovative business informatics can be found in the strongly represented sectors of trade, industry, especially in the automotive sector, and banking.
The creative industry complements the ICT location with numerous digital agencies, design studios, gaming developers, and media companies. Both large media clusters and dynamic startups can be found here.
IT as a significant economic factor
Information and communication technologies, known as ICT, are thus an extremely important economic sector in Salzburg. Approximately 600 companies with around 3,400 employees are active in IT services and the manufacturing of data processing equipment alone. The value added per employee in Salzburg’s data processing equipment manufacturing sector is about twice as high as in the accommodation sector, and the same applies to revenue per employee.
Leading IT companies in Salzburg:
Business Informatics:
- Porsche Informatik: Developer of software solutions for the Porsche Holding
- SPAR ICS: The IT company of the SPAR Austria Group develops solutions for food & retail, sports & fashion, and shopping centers.
- Wüstenrot Technology: Developer of financial services products for Wüstenrot.
Communication Technology:
- conova communications: One of the largest data center operators in Salzburg, offering comprehensive hybrid cloud solutions to businesses
- eurofunk KAPPACHER: One of the largest system specialists for the planning, construction, and operation of control centers and emergency call centers in the public safety, industry, and transportation sectors
- Commend: Developer of security and communication solutions for the protection of people, buildings, industry, and transportation.
Industrial Automation:
- COPA-DATA: COPA-DATA’s software supports industrial companies in automating their machinery, plants, and buildings in the automotive, pharmaceutical, metal industries, and many other sectors. It is one of Austria’s six unicorns.
- Sigmatek: Developer and manufacturer of innovative automation solutions for plastics engineering, logistics, food industry, and many other sectors
- B+R Industrial Automation: Manufacturer of automation technology specializing in robotics and manufacturing automation
Access Systems for Leisure and Sports Facilities:
- SKIDATA: World market leader in mass access systems for individuals and vehicles
- Axess: Modern access systems and software solutions for sports, leisure, culture, and transportation.
Creative Industry:
- Red Bull Media House: Producer of media products for TV, mobile, digital, audio, and print in the fields of sports, culture, and lifestyle. Servus TV, Bergwelten, and carpe diem magazine. Red Bull Records is one of Red Bull Media House’s most successful media outlets.
- KISKA: Internationally successful digital, branding, and design agency
- elements: Full-service agency for digital marketing
- loop: The digital agency loop serves renowned clients such as Puma, Audi, or Nespresso and has locations on four continents. Its headquarters are in Salzburg.
- pixelart: A pan-European digital agency
ICT Start-ups in Salzburg:
It’s not only established leading companies that distinguish the ICT location. Young entrepreneurs bring innovative ICT applications to the market. Here is a selection of successful start-ups in the ICT field:
- sproof: Software for legally binding digital certifications and signatures
- Blumatix Intelligence: Software for automatic invoice recognition based on machine learning
- Fact AI: Develops AI assistants for personalized online shopping
- LiveVoice: The app for smart live event streaming
- Polycular: VR and AR development for unique and interactive learning experiences
- Ecosensors: Develops AI sensors for environmental monitoring to provide real-time data, for example, during natural disasters
- NativeWaves: Enables personalized viewing of live broadcasts, creating a unique live experience
- Cognify: Develops machine learning algorithms for businesses.
The digitalisation strategy for the state of Salzburg
As part of the Science and Innovation Strategy 2025, the state of Salzburg also developed the Innovation and Research Master Plan ICT Salzburg to further develop the ICT location. These measures have been implemented and further advanced:
- Broadband expansion in Salzburg
- Funding program Salzburg
- Digital to support digitalization projects in SMEs
- Location marketing to increase the visibility of the ICT location
- Creating new training opportunities to prevent skill shortages
- Establishing new research positions to promote scientific innovation
- Strengthening the transfer from science to business and fostering research collaborations
3. November 2023
On the way to a new world of work
Transparent communication, definition of responsibilities and a new organisational structure: Samson Druck in Lungau has launched a project to successfully manage the generational change. And it will also improve the working conditions of the employees.
3. November 2023
Wooden window production in no time
Even smaller projects can make big leaps for companies, just like the investment made by the Franz Lechner Carpentry in Pinzgau in a new CNC machine for the fully automated production of wooden windows and wood-aluminum windows. The Land Salzburg DigiBonus and our Service Center Innovation team made this possible.
25. October 2023
With Funding to the Top Webshop
A continuous digital path to customers, new technical interfaces, and the standardization of internal processes: a contemporary online shop offers various possibilities. With the digitalization funding from the regional government, the company Haas + Sohn Ofentechnik in Tennengau embarked on this online project anew and began its implementation.
23. October 2023
Automation of lens control succeeds with VISTA
The VISTA measuring system finds defects in and on transparent objects with a reliability of almost 100 percent. VISTA is thus the world’s first successful automation of a previously mandatory manual inspection in spectacle lens production. The innovation was developed by A&C from Salzburg Stadt.
18. September 2023
At the Interface Between Human and Computer: The New III.Lab in Salzburg
The triple I in the lab name stands for “Intelligent Interfaces Innovation,” describing research at the intersection of humans and technologies. The lab was inaugurated on September 15, 2023, and is available for collaborations with companies, emphasizing planned application-oriented research.
19. July 2023
From Mozart to Hightech
In the Austria Picture that aired on ORF 2 on June 11th, our CEO Walter Haas stated, “Salzburg should stand for research, technology, and the future.” The program, produced by the Salzburg Regional Studio, focused on our innovation ecosystem.