Salesforce To Build First AI Center In London As Part Of $4 Billion UK Investment Plan

Almost a year ago, Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, announced that it plans to invest $4 billion in its UK business over the next five years.

The idea was to boost artificial intelligence (AI) companies and infrastructure in the country, while also upskilling people in the technology, owing to the widespread growth of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

Now, the company has come out with another announcement that builds on that promise, along with other AI enhancements to its offerings.

So, what did Salesforce say? Let’s explore!
 

What Did Salesforce Announce?

 

• Building on its previous plans to invest $4 billion in its UK business over the next five years to advance AI innovation and growth, Salesforce announced it has chosen London as the location for its first AI Center. The Center will be in London’s Blue Fin building.

• This AI Center will be a platform that fosters collaboration between industry experts, partners and customers to propel AI innovation, while also increasing upskilling opportunities.

• The launch of the UK AI Center and investment details come ahead of the company’s annual event, London World Tour, which will be attended by companies such as Aston Martin, McLaren Racing, Simplyhealth, Just Eat Takeaway and John Lewis Partnership along with over 17,500 delegates.

• The company also revealed that it has invested over $200 million in UK companies such as ElevenLabs and AutoGenAI through Salesforce Ventures.

• Ahead of this, the company revealed its latest AI product innovations.

• This includes announcing the general availability of Data Cloud Vector Database, which aims to help businesses extract, unify and unlock the rich vein of data that’s trapped “trapped in PDFs, emails, transcripts, and other unstructured formats.”

• The platform will feature diverse GenAI-powered capabilities of Einstein Copilot to enhance data processes and even allow users to integrate unstructured data sources such as call transcripts, online customer reviews and support tickets, directly into customer profiles. 

• Furthermore, the company launched its data unification platform, Data Cloud, with its availability on Hyperforce, Salesforce’s trusted platform architecture built on the public cloud, from July 31, 2024, in the UK.

• This will allow the company’s UK customers to elevate data cloud operational efficiency and gain advanced scalability and security. The platform enables users to store data in-country, protect data with end-to-end encryption, manage workloads and scale efficiently.

• “Customers benefit from its integration of enhanced standards for compliance, security, agility, and scalability, as well as from Salesforce’s continued commitment to privacy.”

• Salesforce even announced an expansion to their partnership with Slalom, the global business and technology consulting company, which will see them co-develop new solutions to help organizations quickly activate data and AI use cases in Salesforce.

• The partnership will also allow Slalom to drive AI transformations for its sales operations.

 

What Did Stakeholders Say?

 

• Zahra Bahrololoumi, CEO, Salesforce UKI, said, “AI has the potential to drive major growth for UK businesses – with the UK AI market predicted to reach over $1 trillion by 2035. To realize this opportunity, industry-leading experts must work together to develop innovative solutions and overcome obstacles.”

• [Contd.] “By locating Salesforce’s first AI Center in London, we are sending a clear message to customers and partners on AI: we are deeply committed to working closely together so that you can reap the rewards of this transformative technology, while ensuring it is a force for good.”

• Howard Dawber, the Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Growth, said, “This new UK AI Center will bring industry experts together to innovate and collaborate. It will provide training for Londoners to access the jobs and opportunities of the future and boost our economy as we continue to work towards a fairer and better city for everyone.”

Do you think Salesforce’s competitors should make similar moves and invest in the UK or other regions to boost the AI industry?

Let us know in the comments below!