Moscow builds AI city management on domestic technology, rejecting foreign vendor dependency
Moscow operates more than 130 AI programs across traffic, healthcare, education and waste management, but the Russian capital's approach hinges on one principle: developing critical systems in-house rather than relying on external vendors.
Sergey Cheremin, minister of the government of Moscow, outlined the city's strategy at Gitex AI Asia 2026 in Singapore. Managing 15 million people and a $450 billion economy requires efficiency, he said, but true security demands domestic control over strategic technology.
"You cannot allow the vendors to dictate how you are going to manage the city," Cheremin said.
Traffic and crime reduction
Moscow's transport system uses AI to optimize traffic flow, cutting commute times by up to 30 percent. The city also processes subway access through automatic biometric billing, eliminating traditional transport cards.
The city deployed 260,000 CCTV cameras integrated into a single data-processing system. Crime dropped 90 percent over the past decade, and car thefts fell by 15 times, according to Cheremin.
Healthcare and urban planning
AI-assisted radiology identifies diseases and predicts cancers with high accuracy, reducing time and costs for Moscow's healthcare system.
Moscow spent a decade building a digital twin-a virtual model containing over 9,000 data layers. The system includes underground infrastructure, demographic data and other details, allowing planners to predict the impact of construction projects before implementation.
Sovereignty without isolation
Cheremin stressed that digital sovereignty does not mean cutting ties with global technology partners. Moscow studied traffic management systems in Singapore, New York, London, Paris and Barcelona, then adapted solutions from vendors including Siemens, Cisco and Thales to fit local needs.
The city shares its technology playbook with cities across Southeast Asia, China, India, Africa and Latin America through city-to-city partnerships. With 80 percent of the world's population expected to live in cities within two decades, Cheremin said Moscow will deepen ties with ASEAN and Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.
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