Graphcore, a British company specializing in artificial intelligence solutions, has decided to open a branch in Tri-City.
Graphcore – maker of AI computer systems powered by the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU) – today formally opened its new Gdańsk office. Overlooking the city, from the thirtieth floor of Olivia Star, it will be home to the 22 employees that have already joined Graphcore’s Poland operation, with room for continued growth.
The new Gdańsk office opens with an expanded remit for the Graphcore Poland team, who will now take a leading role in developing the company’s cloud compute offering, in addition their work on the convergence of AI and High Performance Computing (HPC), and providing engineering support to customers around the world.
“The wide range of skill sets that exist in Gdańsk, and Poland more generally, has allowed Graphcore to hand more of the company’s most important projects to the team here. When we talk to potential employees, they are excited by the opportunity to do work that has a truly global impact,” said Nigel Toon, Co-founder and CEO of Graphcore.
Graphcore chose to locate in Gdańsk, in part, due to the large number of technology companies already present in the area and rich talent pool that has built up around them.
“Gdańsk and the wider Pomerania region is fast-becoming one of Europe’s most exciting technology hubs. There is a virtuous cycle where existing talent is helping to draw in new investment. We are looking forward to Graphcore’s continued growth, and playing our role in that success story,” said Pawel Pieczul, Director of Engineering at Graphcore Poland.
In addition to building its team and business functions, the Graphcore Gdańsk has begun work with Gdansk University of Technology, sharing AI industry expertise in the form of guest lectures, with plans for a wider partnership.
From the outset, Graphcore’s decision to locate an important research and development hub in Gdańsk has been supported by Invest in Pomarania, which has been a close partner in establishing a location in the Olivia Business Centre, building local community relations, and facilitating business introductions across Poland.
“Pomerania is a true hub of advanced technologies – 12 percent of all AI companies operating in Poland are concentrated here. The appearance of such an innovative company as Graphcore, confirms the high technological competence of local experts in the field of artificial intelligence and allows us to be optimistic about the future development of the industry,” said Wojciech Tyborowski, Director, Invest in Pomerania.
About Graphcore
Graphcore makes computer systems for artificial intelligence, powered by the Intelligence Processing Unit (IPU), a state-of-the-art processor, designed around the unique computational requirements of AI.
Founded in Bristol, UK, in 2016, the company now has offices and customers across Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Graphcore systems are used in AI applications across a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, financial services, the automotive industry, and consumer internet services.
Graphcore is backed by some of the world’s leading technology investors, including Sequoia Capital, Fidelity International, BMW iVentures, Dell, Microsoft, and Samsung, as well as respected AI innovators such as Deepmind co-founder Demis Hassabis and OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Pieter Abbeel and Scott Gray
