Microsoft is set to open a new AI hub in London to further enhance its AI capabilities. This comes after the recent announcement of the establishment of Microsoft AI, a new organization dedicated to advancing consumer AI products and research. The London AI hub will focus on driving innovative work to advance language models and infrastructure, as well as creating top-notch tooling for foundation models. The hub will collaborate closely with Microsoft’s AI teams and partners like OpenAI.
The new hub, located in Microsoft’s London Paddington office, will be led by Jordan Hoffmann, a former AI pioneer at Inflection and DeepMind, according to a blog post by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI. Suleyman expressed his pride in making a long-term investment in the UK and hiring top AI scientists and engineers for the new hub.
AI hub marks Microsoft’s continued expansion in the UK
London was chosen for OpenAI’s first international expansion in June 2023, with CEO Sam Altman aiming to attract talent and drive innovation in AGI development and policy. The new Microsoft AI hub in London adds to the company’s existing presence in the UK, including its research lab in Cambridge, known for its leading researchers in AI, cloud, and productivity.
This announcement follows Microsoft’s recent £2.5 billion investment to upskill the UK workforce for the AI era and build the necessary infrastructure for the AI economy. Microsoft UK CEO Clare Barclay emphasized the UK’s potential to lead in AI but highlighted the need to overcome barriers to turn ambition into action. Microsoft aims to support one million individuals in gaining AI skills by 2025 to open up diverse opportunities in technology across the UK.
