Vienna, Austria – February 22–23, 2025
The Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien) hosted the Hackathon: Watt’s Up? Hack for Energy Efficiency – Synthetic Data for Buildings, a pioneering event focused on leveraging synthetic data to optimize building energy efficiency. Over two days, experts, researchers, and data enthusiasts gathered at TU Wien to develop innovative solutions using high-performance computing resources.
Organizers and Collaborators
The hackathon was made possible through the collaboration of several key institutions:
- Technical University of Vienna / Energy Economics Group: Philipp Mascherbauer and Daniel Harringer led the development of the dataset and validation code, made available via GitHub.
- Vienna Scientific Cluster (VSC) and EuroCC Austria: Provided GPU access to the VSC-5 supercomputer, with efforts led by Claudia Blaas-Schenner and Simeon Harrison. Julia Wimmer played a vital role in promoting the event.
- e-think energy research: Francesca Conselvan and Marcus Hummel contributed to event organization, partnerships, and promotional efforts.
- Vienna Data Science Group (VDSG): Represented by Francesca Conselvan, Florian Thürk, Georg Heiler, and Wolfgang Weidinger, VDSG facilitated outreach and engagement through their channels and events.
Guidance and Evaluation
Participants benefited from mentorship by industry and academic experts, including:
- Philipp Mascherbauer (TU Wien)
- Daniel Harringer (TU Wien)
- Florian Thürk (VDSG)
- Georg Heiler (VDSG)
- Lorenzo Cristofori (ENG and DigiBuild)
The judging panel featured distinguished professionals from academia and industry:
- Philipp Mascherbauer (TU Wien)
- Daniel Harringer (TU Wien)
- Lorenzo Cristofori (ENG and DigiBuild)
- Francesca Conselvan (e-think energy research)
- Cristian Pozza (EURAC)
Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future
Participants tackled real-world challenges in energy efficiency using synthetic data and machine learning techniques. Leveraging the computational power of the VSC-5 supercomputer, teams developed models to improve energy forecasting, optimize building operations, and enhance energy sustainability practices.
The event fostered collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and technical innovation, reinforcing Vienna’s role as a hub for energy efficiency research. Organizers and participants alike celebrated the event’s success, with many looking forward to future iterations.
Winners and Prizes
The hackathon concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing the most innovative and impactful solutions. The winning team developed an advanced energy optimization model that impressed the jury with its accuracy and scalability. The first 3 classified teams received an Amazon voucher. Congratulations to all participants!
For more details, visit TU Wien’s official page or check the event repository on GitHub.
Check out the event pictures here: Hackathon Photos.
