DeepMind, the Alphabet-owned artificial intelligence company, will be moving into a new flagship building in 2020. While a precise date is yet to be determined, the company hopes that the new headquarters – which will feature a double helix staircase descending through a library, a roof garden, lecture theatre and lobby artwork by creatives working with data and artificial intelligence – will be operational in the first half of next year.
DeepMind is currently located near to the new site in London’s Kings Cross, where it has two floors in the Google building. It also has smaller, satellite offices in Paris, Alberta, Montreal and Mountain View, California. The new, 11-storey DeepMind headquarters will cement the reputation of the Kings Cross area as London’s so-called ‘knowledge quarter’: as well as Google, Facebook has taken office space nearby, as has Samsung.
“I’m delighted to confirm DeepMind is developing a new building in the Kings Cross area. I want this building to help foster energy, contemplation and collaboration - ingredients required for pioneering scientific research,” says Demis Hassabis, the CEO and co-founder of DeepMind. “This plan has been in the works for many years now and it has been amazing to see the designs come to life.”
In collaboration with co-founders Mustafa Suleyman and Shane Legg, Hassabis says he has been planning the new site since 2015 – a year after the company was acquired by Google, now Alphabet, for $500 million (£380m) – in order to create a physical space that will further its reputation for being one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence research companies. Noting that the nature of DeepMind’s work is interdisciplinary, Hassabis says: “We’ve tried to create an environment that will enable cutting-edge research and inspire collaborative working.”
The news that the company’s headquarters will remain in London delivers on one of the key elements of the original sale to Alphabet, namely that DeepMind would remain in London and maintain a research-led approach. And, despite the UK economy slowing generally, the country's technology companies continue to thrive. Investment into UK-based AI companies peaked at £736 million in 2018, representing a 47 per cent increase on the £499m raised in 2017, according to London & Partners – the Mayor of London’s international promotional agency – and PitchBook.
“DeepMind is a true London success story. This world-leading AI team has stuck closely and passionately to its London roots, understanding and utilising the talent, innovation, creative energy and knowledge that sits on its doorstep. This new announcement not only shows DeepMind’s ongoing commitment to London, but also represents a new era for this remarkable organisation as they take things to the next level,” says Laura Citron, chief executive of London & Partners. “London is the artificial intelligence capital of Europe, with the capital housing more than twice as many companies as its closest rivals, Paris and Berlin, combined.”
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
