Source: Own Illustration
We have already told you about RWTHgpt in our previous posts. Due to the success of RWTHgpt, RWTH Aachen University decided in the summer of 2024 to make the infrastructure used at RWTHgpt available to other universities throughout the state in the future. This led to the creation of the KI:connect.nrw project, funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science.
Start of Rollout & Goal
The statewide rollout of KI:connect began in April 2025 with a pilot operation. In mid-July, the first university went live. You can find more detailed information in the blog post on the KI:connect project page.
The project creates a platform through which all universities in North Rhine-Westphalia can access generative AI in a data protection-compliant and individually configurable manner. The potential of KI:connect.nrw is considerable: by making the infrastructure available statewide, RWTH Aachen University is relieving the burden on universities in terms of personnel and finances, while at the same time opening up new and uncomplicated possibilities for use in studies, teaching, research, and administration.
Collaboration in the Project
The IT Center and the Center for Teaching and Learning Services are collaborating on this project to provide the AI infrastructure for other universities. The IT Center’s focus is on developing the platform and providing the generative AI systems. The IT Center supports participating universities with questions relating to connecting to KI:connect, thereby ensuring support for everything from provision and rollout to technical assistance.
Individual Customization
Participating universities can receive the opportunity to integrate commercial and open-source AI models into the system provided for them and to respond flexibly to usage behavior. For example, the number of prompts that users can make per specified period can be configured.
This ensures that current language models are configured to meet the respective requirements. Depending on the needs of the universities, the system can be adapted to the corporate design of the universities through design adjustments. Furthermore, each university has flexible budget control at its disposal.
Participating Universities
The nationwide rollout is progressing. In addition to RWTH Aachen University, three other universities have already successfully launched productive or limited productive operations and are actively using the platform. Eight more are currently in the starting blocks. The next universities are expected to join in September, and we anticipate a huge increase in active users.
With each additional connection, the circle of users is gradually expanding. Once all participating universities are fully connected, over 300,000 potential users—around 34,000 employees and 270,000 students—will be able to use KI:connect via the KI:connect web interface in their studies, teaching, research, and administration.
Exciting Developments on the Horizon
At the same time, discussions are ongoing with other interested universities. The project is growing continuously and becoming increasingly broad-based.
Stay tuned for further updates and exciting insights, including detailed user figures.
With KI:connect.nrw, RWTH Aachen University is shaping the use of generative AI systems in the higher education landscape of North Rhine-Westphalia in a forward-looking and innovative way as a community service provider.
Responsible for the content of this article is Robin Jakobitz.
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