Digit Conference

What does it take to build technology that works reliably at scale? ⚙️ At Digit 2026, our partner Wise brought the engineering conversation to both Tallinn and Tartu, sharing practical insights into the challenges behind large-scale systems. It all started on October 7 with Digit x WiseTalks, an official side event at the Wise office in Tallinn, where three platform engineers took a deep dive into real-world engineering challenges. • Fabio Hora explored how shared Java and JavaScript platforms can help teams manage dependencies securely and consistently across hundreds of repositories. • Mohammad Areeb Siddiqui shared how isolated AI sandboxes can give analysts the freedom to experiment while keeping sensitive data protected and AI interactions auditable. • Kristo Kuusküll examined how Wise manages consistency across microservices without relying on two-phase commit, using libraries instead of additional infrastructure. Two days later, the conversations continued at Digit 2026 in Tartu! Alongside meeting the engineering community at the Wise booth, Iya Roos, Data Scientist at Wise, took the Data & ML Stage with her talk "Beyond the Model: Operating Verification ML at Wise". Her session explored what it takes to keep verification ML reliable in production, from evaluating model updates and handling class imbalance to shadow mode testing and monitoring model behaviour in live traffic. From platform architecture to production ML, one thing stood out: building technology at scale means thinking beyond individual solutions and focusing on the systems that make them reliable. A big thank you to Wise and everyone involved for sharing their expertise, bringing the community together and being part of Digit 2026! 💜 #digitconf #digit2026 #PlatformEngineering #MachineLearning

One day. Over 600 people. Countless conversations. Now, one aftermovie. 💜 Digit 2026 brought the software engineering community together in Tartu on October 9 for a day of fresh perspectives, practical insights and meaningful connections. From inspiring talks and hands-on workshops to the conversations that continued beyond the stages, it was a day worth remembering. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, shared their knowledge and helped bring Digit 2026 to life. Especially our incredible team and partners who made it all possible! 🎬 Ready to relive it? The official Digit 2026 aftermovie is now live! Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/dqUAmnha And mark your calendars. We will see you at Digit 2027 on October 29! 💜 📸 Silver Gutmann #digitconf #digit2026 #TechCommunity #SoftwareEngineering

What happens when AI moves beyond writing code and starts helping build physical products? 👀 In the latest Algorütm episode, Tanel Ainla, founder of ScienceMosaic and hardware engineer, shares how AI is transforming hardware development, from choosing components and designing electronic circuits to building prototypes. And the possibilities are already impressive. Tanel describes how Claude reconstructed a digital twin of a laboratory device from a scientific paper, including its 3D model and physics simulations. But faster development brings new challenges. How do you verify AI-generated designs? What still requires human engineering judgement? And how can genuine innovations stand out when AI can generate convincing product concepts in minutes? The conversation explores where AI is already saving engineers time, why physical testing and compliance still matter, and how the role of hardware engineers may evolve. 🎧 Watch the full episode: https://lnkd.in/dTNfFNCc #digitconf #Algorütm #AI #HardwareEngineering

AI is becoming more capable. But who decides how much responsibility we give it? At Digit 2026, our partner University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science brought research and practical experimentation together, exploring not only what AI can do, but how we can use it responsibly. Anastasija Nikiforova, Associate Professor of Applied AI, took the Data & ML Stage with a thought-provoking question: "Who Decides When AI Decides?" As AI moves beyond assisting humans and starts taking on more complex tasks, the challenge is no longer just automation. It is delegation. Her key message? Capability does not equal authority. Just because AI can perform a task does not mean it should be allowed to make decisions independently. Organisations need to consider what they delegate, under which conditions and how human oversight and accountability are maintained. Meanwhile, Heili Aavola, Junior Research Fellow in Machine Learning, explored a different side of AI in her workshop "Own Your LLM: Lessons from Building a Local AI Agent". From choosing suitable models and managing memory limitations to running AI locally, the workshop examined what it takes to build an assistant that keeps data under your control and remains useful even without an internet connection. And the learning continued beyond the stages! At the University of Tartu demo area, visitors could explore research and student projects, including work from the Autonomous Driving Lab, the AI-powered Estonian language learning project EstMate and the local AI agent Hermes. Different approaches, one shared goal: turning AI research into practical knowledge and real-world applications. A big thank you to the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science, Anastasija, Heili and everyone who contributed to Digit 2026! 💜 Photos by Silver Gutmann. #digitconf #digit2026 #AI #SoftwareEngineering

What if your AI coding assistant became your new IDE? 👨💻 For Mateja Sponza, Principal Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft, that’s exactly what happened with GitHub Copilot App. Its clear interface makes it easy to manage multiple active sessions, switch between tasks and create isolated Git worktrees. The result? Parallel workstreams feel seamless, with fewer terminal tabs and much less cognitive load. Sometimes, the biggest productivity boost isn’t faster code generation. It’s a workflow that’s simply easier to manage. That focus on making AI work in practice also connected two talks at Digit 2026. Kirill Linnik explored the infrastructure around AI agents: small, focused agents, handoffs decided by code, and a human at the gate. His takeaway? If you’re copying one agent’s output into another, you’ve become the bottleneck. Fix the workflow around the model. Evgenii Indenbom tackled a different engineering challenge: bringing neural video compression out of the lab. His talk introduced MLVC, a codec being deployed in Microsoft Teams that runs on commodity hardware and achieves up to 6× bitrate reduction compared with H.265. Different applications, a shared lesson: making AI useful takes careful engineering around it, from how we coordinate work to how we deploy it at scale. A big thank you to Microsoft, Mateja, Kirill and Evgenii for sharing their expertise and contributing to Digit 2026! 💜 Photos by Silver Gutmann. #digitconf #digit2026 #SoftwareEngineering #AI

A green pipeline tells you your code works. But how do you know you are succeeding as an engineering manager? Moving from writing code to leading people is more than a change in job title. It is a different kind of work, with challenges and results that are not always easy to measure. Digit 2026 speaker Tuule Sõber, Engineering Manager at Zendesk, joined Priit Liivak and Martin Kapp on the Algorütm podcast to explore what really changes when a developer steps into leadership. The conversation covers the less visible side of management: measuring success, keeping track of decisions and achievements, resisting the temptation to jump back into coding, and building trust through listening and empathy. They also discuss moving from a startup to a large corporation, exploring management before committing to a career change, and where AI can support leaders without replacing meaningful human interaction. Tuule explored this transition on the Digit 2026 stage in her talk, "Unexpected Side Effects of Becoming a Manager". This episode is a great opportunity to dive deeper into the topic. 🎧 Watch the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/dA55kfqs #digitconf #digit2026 #EngineeringLeadership

AI can write code faster. But who decides what is worth building? That is one of the big questions explored in the latest Algorütm episode, recorded at Digit 2026! 💜 Host Priit Liivak caught up with speakers and tech professionals to find out how AI is actually changing software development and what happens when automation becomes part of everyday workflows. At Playtech, AI agents are already handling parts of the development process, with human code review still in place. Bolt explains why testing and oversight become even more important as automation increases. Meanwhile, Wise shares how language models help detect financial crime while keeping the underlying facts accurate. And the conversations go well beyond code! From autonomous aircraft developed by TEKEVER and AI-powered databases at Oracle to a digital twin of Tartu built for testing self-driving technology. The recurring theme? As AI makes development faster, defining the right problems, validating results and making good decisions matter more than ever. Huge thanks to Algorütm and Priit Liivak for bringing these conversations to a wider audience! 🎧 Watch the full episode: https://lnkd.in/d3wMKnfx #digitconf #digit2026 #SoftwareEngineering #AI

A look back at Digit 2026. A head start on Digit 2027! 💜 Missed a moment at Digit 2026? We might have caught it on camera! The official photo albums are now available on the sTARTUp Day Flickr page. From the SWE, LLMOverflow and Data & ML stages to workshops, Premium Dinner and Afterparty, you can find all the Digit 2026 albums right at the top of the page. Take a look, revisit your favourite moments and see if you can spot yourself! 📸 Photos by Silver Gutmann. Explore the albums: https://lnkd.in/dRb-ZV8p And while we look back at Digit 2026, here is one more reason to look ahead! Today is the LAST DAY to get your Digit 2027 Hello World ticket for €149! Our first ticket offer ends today, so if you are planning to join us next year, now is the time to secure your spot at the introductory price. 📅 October 29, 2027 | Tartu, Estonia Get your ticket: https://lnkd.in/diUeJQKm Same community. New ideas. See you at Digit 2027! #digitconf #digit2026 #digit2027

Who says the best part of a tech conference has to happen on stage? 👀💜 The talks may have ended, but the conversations were far from over! Digit 2026's Afterparty brought the tech community together for an evening of good music, great company and a chance to connect beyond the conference halls. No slides, no schedules. Just familiar faces, new connections and plenty of reasons to stay a little longer. 🚀 A huge thank you to Playtech, our official Afterparty partner, for supporting the event and helping make the evening possible! And, of course, thank you to everyone who joined us and kept the Digit spirit going well into the night. 💜 📸 Here's a look back at some of our favourite moments! #digitconf #digit2026 #TechCommunity

Some of the best conversations happen beyond the conference stage. 💜 Digit 2026's Premium Dinner brought together speakers, tech enthusiasts and industry professionals for an evening where great food met fresh perspectives and meaningful conversations. 💡Stenver Jerkku, CEO & Co-Founder of Soldera, shared his experience of building an agentic-first company since 2023, offering a practical look at what it takes to put AI-driven ways of working into practice. Beyond the insights, the evening was about connecting with people who share a passion for technology, exchanging ideas and getting to know the faces behind the industry. A huge thank you to Stenver Jerkku for sharing his experience and to everyone who joined us for this special evening! 📸 Take a look at some of our favourite moments from the Premium Dinner! #digitconf #digit2026 #TechCommunity