The Salesforce corporate logo hangs over the front door of the Salesforce Tower on January 22, 2024 in New York City.
Gary Harshhorn | Getty Images
LONDON — Enterprise tech giant Salesforce is opening an artificial intelligence center in London, increasingly betting on the UK as a global technology hub.
The US software giant said in a statement Thursday that it is opening a more than 40,000-square-foot facility in London's Bluefin building, which can host more than 300 people.
The company said it will be used to encourage industry collaboration between tech firms, AI experts, Salesforce partners and customers, as well as facilitate AI training and upskilling programs.
Salesforce said it expects the AI hub to contribute to the creation of 500,000 AI-related jobs in the UK.
The facility will officially open on June 18 with a free event to train more than 100 developers.
Salesforce said the center, which is planned to be the first of many globally, will support its UK and Ireland business. It will be led by the firm's UK and Ireland CEO Zahra Bahrululumi.
The news was announced on Thursday at the Salesforce World Tour event at the London Excel, which is expected to gather more than 17,500 delegates and customers from companies including Aston Martin, McLaren, Just Eat Takeaway, and John Lewis. .
“By locating Salesforce's first, flagship AI center in London, we're sending a clear message to customers and partners on AI: We're committed to working together so you can reap the rewards of this transformative technology.” can achieve, ensuring the power for good,” Salesforce's Bahrululumi said in a statement.
The AI center is part of a $4 billion investment in the UK, which Salesforce has committed to over five years to 2023.
In addition to announcing the opening of its AI center, Salesforce also revealed that it has invested more than $200 million in UK startups through its venture capital arm Salesforce Ventures. These include procurement bid writing platform AutoGen AI and Eleven Labs, an AI-powered text-to-speech and voice generator.
The news comes amid concerns over whether Salesforce's investments in AI are paying off. The company last week reported weaker-than-expected first-quarter earnings and issued guidance that fell short of investor expectations.
Salesforce reported revenue of $9.13 billion for the period, up 11 percent from a year earlier but falling short of analysts' expectations of $9.17 billion. The company said it expects adjusted earnings of $2.34 to $2.36 per share for the current quarter, below analysts' expectations of $2.40 per share.