- US firm Kyndryl to set up Liverpool City Region base
- Prime Minister hails Kyndryl tech hub as part of Government’s ambition to roll out AI across the country
- Kyndryl announcement follows meeting with Mayor during trade mission to US
- Mayor: ‘Liverpool City Region leading the way in the UK’s AI revolution’
Mayor Steve Rotheram today welcomed a major new investment by a US tech firm which is set to bring up to 1,000 jobs to the Liverpool City Region.
Kyndryl – the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider – has revealed plans for a new tech hub in the city region as part of a government blueprint to turbocharge AI and deliver 13,250 new UK jobs.
The multinational is one of three major tech companies – alongside Vantage Data Centres, and Nscale – to commit to a £14 billion investment to build AI infrastructure in the UK. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the plans as he set out his AI Opportunities Action Plan today (Monday).
The investment comes after Mayor Rotheram held talks with Kyndryl in New York during a recent trade mission to the US and follows the Liverpool City Region’s landmark AI summit held in November.
Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram said:
“This is fantastic news for our region and a real testament to what we can achieve when local ambition is matched by national support to help attract international investment. I’m really glad that we’ve been able to attract Kyndryl to our area, having met with them on our trade mission to New York last year.
“This announcement shows how, together with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government, we’re delivering real, tangible change for working people across our communities. With 1,000 new AI jobs coming to the Liverpool City Region over the next 3 years, we’re not just creating opportunities for today but laying the foundations for the jobs of the future.
“As a region with a proud history of innovation we’re ready to seize the opportunities that AI and digital technology can bring—not just to boost our economy but to improve lives, develop skills, tackle inequality, and ensure no one is left behind. This is the Liverpool City Region leading the way in the UK’s AI revolution.”
The Liverpool City Region has ambitious plans to supercharge its economy based around world-leading innovation and hi-tech facilities. A new Life Sciences Investment Zone is set to create 8,000 new jobs and attract up to £800m investment over the next 10 years.
In November, the first Liverpool City Region International AI Summit was held, showcasing the region’s world-class Artificial Intelligence expertise and setting out an inspiring vision for the future of AI in the UK.
The Prime Minister today pledged to unleash artificial intelligence across the UK to deliver a decade of national renewal.
Sir Keir said the new technology ‘has the potential to speed up planning consultations to get Britain building, can help drive down admin for teachers so they can get on with teaching children, and feed AI through cameras to spot potholes and help improve roads.’
The Prime Minister said his government is throwing the ‘full weight of Whitehall’ behind this industry by agreeing to take forward all 50 recommendations set out by Matt Clifford in his ‘game-changing’ AI Opportunities Action Plan.
He added:
“Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.
“But the AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers. And in a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.
“Our plan will make Britain the world leader. It will give the industry the foundation it needs and will turbocharge the Plan for Change. That means more jobs and investment in the UK, more money in people’s pockets, and transformed public services. That’s the change this government is delivering.”
Vantage Data Centres – which is working to build one of Europe’s largest data centre campuses in Wales – plans to invest over £12billion in data centres across the UK – creating over 11,500 jobs in the process.
Kyndryl announced plans to create up to 1,000 AI-related jobs in the Liverpool City Region over the next three years. The new tech hub will help grow the economy and foster the next generation of talent.
Nscale – one of the UK’s leading AI companies – has announced a $2.5 billion investment to support the UK’s data centre infrastructure over the next three years. They have also signed a contract to build the largest UK sovereign AI data centre in Loughton, Essex by 2026.