In this field, Poland is becoming a global player. Here are 15 giants

In 2025, the Polish IT sector is expected to account for 4.5 percent of Polish GDP. This is more than Poland spent on its defense when it was threatened with war with Russia. Tech companies are thriving on the Vistula. The industry is constantly riding on growth trends.

Americans from the Fitch Solutions analytical agency predict that the value of the domestic IT market will exceed the level of 35 billion dollars this year. Last year it was 6 billion dollars less.

The Clan of the Initiated

So much for the Fitch analysts’ calculations. The Polish Investment and Trade Agency went a little further in its calculations, taking a closer look not only at IT, but the entire ICT industry, which, in addition to computer and software manufacturers, also includes the entire branch of telecommunications technologies.

According to PAIH calculations, there are approximately 50,000 small, medium and large software companies operating in Poland.

According to reports by the Polish Industrial Development Agency, the entire industry may now be responsible for not 4 but 8 percent of our GDP and employ 430,000 people.

The scale is impressive, considering how young a sector of the economy we are talking about. In the 1980s, Polish computer science was practically non-existent.

There was only a small group of enthusiasts in the whole of Poland, a few hundred people, a thousand at most. A clan of initiates, working in large, soundproofed halls with monstrous Odra computers from the ELWRO plant in Wrocław. Data recorded on perforated cards. You handed the card to a lady in a suit behind a glass. She uploaded it to the computer. After a while, the machine spat out a response. White aprons, slippers, the monotonous hum of tape rewinders, the grinding of line printers, the clatter of teletypes. A different world.

Computers reached such monstrous sizes and astronomical prices that only large state-owned companies could afford them. There was no such thing as a group of people privately interested in computer science. Even at technical universities, students were taught computer science on paper, because there were no computers for them. The authorities of the Polish People’s Republic banned the import of Western equipment to the Vistula by appropriate regulations. The only way out was often to smuggle technology.

Finnish-American podium

After 35 years of such stories, we have created gigantic companies in Poland, which – like Asseco or Comarch – were established from scratch, or – like Nokia or Intel – decided to locate part of their business here.

In this ranking, we present the largest technology companies operating in Poland. They include software manufacturers, ICT systems, cybersecurity specialists, and even the two largest Polish gaming companies, such as Techland and CD Projekt. The Dun&Bradstreet business intelligence agency helped us compile the list by providing us with the most reliable financial data for 2022 for the largest companies operating in the country. The only criterion we based on was the value of revenues achieved.

And so the first place was taken by the Finnish Nokia. Once a giant manufacturer of mobile phones, today it specializes in telecommunications technologies.

The world’s largest specialist in mobile broadband transmission, the company operates at the forefront of each generation of mobile technology, from the first GSM call to the first LTE call.

In Poland, it employs several thousand people. Our country is the largest foreign center in the whole of Europe for the Finns. The main bridgehead remains Wrocław, where the company’s research and development department is located. It specializes in radio technologies and network management support.

The runner-up in the ranking was Epam Systems, which belongs to the American concern Epam, headquartered in Pennsylvania. It employs over 52 thousand people worldwide, including 7 thousand people in Poland. In Poland, it operates in six locations: Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Katowice, Lodz and Gdansk. Its main services include quality control and test automation, software engineering, service management and infrastructure management.

Intel came in last. The Americans have been developing on the Vistula for over three decades. Their Gdańsk facility has become the largest research and development center in all of Europe. They employ 4,000 people. They specialize in developing software that can be found in practically the entire range of products of the Santa Clara, California-based corporation. A few weeks ago, the Americans revealed more details about their next investment in Poland.

In Miękinia near Wrocław, they want to open a gigantic semiconductor integration and testing plant for PLN 18.4 billion. This branch is to provide employment for another 2,000 workers.

These are just the first three companies on our list. Who else made it to the list?

15 Largest Technology Producers and Sellers in Poland