Microsoft is set to launch a new artificial intelligence hub in the heart of London, signalling its commitment to advancing AI products and research.
The tech giant has recently unveiled Microsoft AI, a dedicated division within the company that zeroes in on artificial intelligence. At the helm is Mustafa Suleyman, the British entrepreneur who co-founded DeepMind, an AI powerhouse now under Google’s wing.
Mr Suleyman said he was delighted the new AI hub will take up residence in Microsoft’s Paddington premises, saying it will “drive pioneering work to advance state-of-the-art language models and their supporting infrastructure, and to create world-class tooling for foundation models”.
In a blog post heralding the hub’s establishment, he wrote: “This is great news for Microsoft AI and for the UK. As a British citizen, born and raised in London, I’m proud to have co-founded and built a cutting-edge AI business here. I’m deeply aware of the extraordinary talent pool and AI ecosystem in the UK, and I’m excited to make this commitment to the UK on behalf of Microsoft AI.”
“I know through my close work with thought leaders in the UK Government, business community and academia that the country is committed to advancing AI responsibly and with a safety-first commitment to drive investment, innovation and economic growth. Our decision to open this hub in the UK reflects this ambition.”
Adding further, he mentioned that the hub will generate employment, declaring that Microsoft AI is “actively hiring exceptional individuals who want to work on the most interesting and challenging AI questions of our time”.
The establishment of the AI centre extends Microsoft’s UK footprint, adding to its existent Microsoft Research lab in Cambridge. It also furthers the tech giant’s commitment to inject £2.5billion into the UK – a promise made in the previous year as a part of their AI initiatives.
