Microsoft Unveils Plans for New AI Hub in London: Introducing Microsoft AI London

Affirming its intention to make a substantial and enduring commitment to the region.

The announcement came through a blog post authored by Mustafa Suleyman, EVP and CEO of Microsoft AI, a fresh division dedicated to advancing Copilot and other consumer AI products and research within the company.

Microsoft AI London will concentrate on crafting language models and the infrastructure supporting them, as well as developing tooling for foundational models. Collaborations are also expected with AI teams across Microsoft and partners like OpenAI.

Jordan Hoffmann, described as an AI pioneer with previous stints at Inflection and DeepMind, will lead the venture from Microsoft’s Paddington office in London. Suleyman expressed the company’s determination to recruit top-tier AI scientists and engineers.

Suleyman remarked, “In the forthcoming weeks and months, we’ll be advertising job opportunities and actively seeking outstanding individuals keen on tackling the most intriguing and demanding AI challenges of our era. We’re in search of team members driven by scalable impact and enthusiastic innovators eager to contribute to a culture of continual learning.”

Reflecting on the significance of this move, Suleyman, a London native, stated, “This is excellent news for Microsoft AI and for the UK. As a Brit myself, having grown up and established a leading-edge AI enterprise here, I take pride in this commitment to the UK on behalf of Microsoft AI. The remarkable talent pool and AI ecosystem in the UK are evident to me, and I’m thrilled to embrace this commitment.”

The blog highlighted Microsoft’s existing Microsoft Research Cambridge lab, where AI, cloud, and productivity research are ongoing. Additionally, it referenced a recent £2.5 billion investment aimed at preparing the UK workforce for the AI era and bolstering the infrastructure for the AI economy.

Furthermore, Microsoft was among the pioneers of the AI boom to launch The AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium, focusing on evaluating the evolving job roles and skills required in the age of AI. This consortium will assess the impact of AI on 56 ICT job roles and provide training recommendations.

Lastly, recent collaboration between the US and UK governments, as evidenced by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), aims to jointly develop tests for AI models and collaborate on identifying AI safety risks. This partnership entails sharing information on AI model capabilities and risks, fostering a shared scientific foundation for researchers.