Microsoft is set to establish a new branch in London, focusing exclusively on the research and development of artificial intelligence. Mustafa Suleyman, the head of AI at the technology company, announced that positions for “exceptional individuals” will be made available in the near and distant future, though the exact number of openings has not been disclosed.
Microsoft has plans to long-term invest in the region
As a significant backer of OpenAI, the entity behind ChatGPT, Microsoft’s expansion aligns with OpenAI’s own establishment of a London office in 2023.
“There is an enormous pool of AI talent and expertise in the U.K., and Microsoft AI plans to make a significant, long-term investment in the region as we begin hiring the best AI scientists and engineers into this new AI hub,” stated Suleyman in related blog post.
“Microsoft AI plans to make a significant, long-term investment in the region as we begin hiring the best AI scientists and engineers into this new AI hub.”
Mr. Suleyman, who played a key role in establishing DeepMind, an AI research laboratory in the UK acquired by Google in 2014, embarked on a new venture with the creation of Inflection AI in 2022, prior to his transition to Microsoft in March. He has appointed AI engineer Jordan Hoffmann, a former colleague at both DeepMind and Inflection, to spearhead the activities at the newly announced office.
He has declared that the Microsoft AI London initiative is set to lead groundbreaking efforts in enhancing state-of-the-art language models along with their underlying infrastructure. He commended the UK for its cautious, “safety-first” stance on AI development.
“The Microsoft AI London hub adds to Microsoft’s existing presence in the U.K., including the Microsoft Research Cambridge lab, home to some of the foremost researchers in the areas of AI, cloud and productivity. At the same time, it builds off Microsoft’s recently announced £2.5 billion investment to upskill the U.K. workforce for the AI era and to build the infrastructure to power the AI economy, including our commitment to bring 20,000 of the most advanced GPUs to the country by 2026,” Suleyman said.
Earlier, Microsoft announced its plan to expand upon its initial investment of $1 billion in OpenAI through a “multi-year, multi-billion dollar” partnership initiated at the beginning of 2023. The company has reaffirmed its support for OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, particularly amidst the tumultuous events surrounding his temporary ousting and subsequent reinstatement as the company’s leader in November.
Following these developments, Microsoft has ascended to become the most valuable publicly traded company globally, with its market valuation surpassing the $3 trillion mark.
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