London's AI scene in numbers
Raised by London-based Wayve
People in AI roles
AI companies
Universities offering AI and machine learning related degrees
London’s AI ecosystem
Few cities in the world have just the right mix of elements to become a global AI innovation hub like London: top talent, world-class academic and research institutions, government support, access to diverse data and a vibrant tech ecosystem all contribute to its success.
Companies of all sizes can find a welcoming and supportive environment that fosters innovation and growth, as well as a dynamic venture capital scene.
Investment into AI in London has soared above £8.5bn since 2021 (Dealroom.co), and the city offers a robust legal framework around data privacy and a network of businesses from across several high-growth sectors. Provided with these conditions, companies can research, test, apply, scale and succeed.
Together, these factors have firmly placed London on the radar for AI firms of all sizes to call the city home and boost their growth and development. From global major players like Google, Meta and Amazon to some of the most innovative scaleups in the sector, London is calling... and the AI industry is responding.
Which companies have answered London’s call?
From customer service and healthcare to autonomous systems and entertainment, the mix of companies that have chosen London for their headquarters reflects the diversity of the city itself.
These include the following startups with innovative solutions and major AI-specific plans from big corporates:
- Salesforce: the world’s largest customer relationship management (CRM) platform by market share chose London for its first AI centre as part of a £4bn AI investment plan for the UK. (Salesforce 1, 2).
- Unmanned Life: developer of the world’s first AI-powered autonomy-as-a-service (AaaS) platform that integrates drones and robots in industries such as logistics and surveillance.
- Curenetics: a groundbreaking healthcare firm that uses AI to predict treatment response for cancer patients.
- PolyAI: creator of the world’s most realistic conversational AI, transforming the way businesses interact with customers.
- Charisma AI: developer of an AI toolkit that creates virtual characters to engage audiences through lifelike conversations.
- Google DeepMind: renowned for its deep learning breakthroughs and technologies that aim to solve scientific and engineering problems.
- Faculty: creator of an AI-powered business consultancy and the world’s first AI operating system. (Faculty)
- Microsoft: opening a dedicated AI research and development lab in London, praising the UK’s safety-first approach to AI. (Microsoft).
- Google: invested $1bn in its Central Saint Giles offices in central London and further investment for its headquarters in Kings Cross. (Google).
Many people told us that a new AI lab would need to be based in Silicon Valley to be successful, but we saw things in a different way. In London, we have top talent right here on our doorstep and it’s also a hub for exceptional AI talent from all around the globe.DeepMind
Top five reasons why London is a global leader in AI
1. Talent pool
London has long been a centre where world-class academia and business come together, and this helps create the city’s vast and thriving talent pool. The capital is also one of the world’s most sought-after destinations for global talent looking to relocate (BCG), taking first place among other European cities.
The availability of skilled talent in London is consistently among the reasons why companies of all sizes choose the city for their European headquarters or research labs, including the likes of Microsoft and Google’s DeepMind. (Sources: Microsoft, DeepMind)
2. World-class universities
London is home to globally renowned universities. Most importantly, these historic institutions keep up with the times. Many of the top universities in the city offer AI and machine learning-related undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Pioneers in this area include the likes of University College London (UCL) and Imperial, which have built dedicated AI research centres to advance areas such as science, mathematics, engineering, natural language processing and machine interaction. (UCL Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Imperial I-X Centre for AI in Science).
3. Investment powerhouse
Global tech investors always keep London in their sights because of its dynamic ecosystem that facilitates high growth.
The capital is home to more than 300 venture capital and private equity investment firms (two-thirds of the UK’s total), as well as 76% of the UK’s unicorns (Beahurst 2024).
In 2023, for the first time, AI companies knocked fintech firms from the top spot as the country’s biggest recipients of equity investment (Beahurst 2024).
Here are a few investment successes for London-based AI companies:
- Wayve raised more than £1bn to develop automated driving technology. (GOV.UK)
- AI companies headquartered in the capital received more than $8bn in venture capital investment between 2021 and 2024 (Dealroom.co).
- Quantexa, which helps companies make better decisions with their data through AI-powered technology, has raised a total of $370m. (Source)
- Builder.ai has raised a total of $445m to develop its no-code app building platform. (Source)
4. Diverse data access
One of the key factors to success for AI companies is access to diverse and plentiful datasets. 270 nationalities and more than 200 different languages are represented in the capital, making it one of the world’s most multicultural cities (WorldAtlas).
This incredible diversity provides vast amounts of data across the city’s many business sectors, as well as government, transport and healthcare. One example of this is the London Datastore, a free and open data-sharing portal from the Mayor of London that gives access to more than 1,000 datasets on the city (London Datastore). This creates an ideal environment for AI research, development and testing.
5. Vibrant ecosystem
London is home to 1,300-plus AI companies, more than 50,400 people in AI roles (Data City), six major airports, several tech clusters and a population of early adopters. This ecosystem has the networks, world-class tech events, resources, spaces and collaborative nature that AI companies can succeed in.Some of the city’s tech clusters include:
- Silicon Roundabout (Tech City) is an area in east London that is home to startups, scaleups, tech giants and academic institutions.
- The Knowledge Quarter comprises the bustling areas of King’s Cross, Euston and Bloomsbury. Historically, it has always been an area of scientific, academic and medical innovation, home to institutions such as University College London, The British Library, the Francis Crick Institute and more recently, Google’s “landscraper” headquarters.
- White City Innovation District in west London is home to a diverse range of companies and institutions working in fields including science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine.
- Paddington Life Sciences is a redevelopment project for St Mary’s Hospital that is set to feature a 3 million sq ft life sciences complex, as well as a further 1.5 million sq ft of commercial and lab space.
How we can help
London & Partners plays a crucial role in helping businesses navigate the complexities of entering the London market.
We can help you:
- Future-proof the setup of your London business.
- Connect with the wider ecosystem, including support networks and trade associations.
- Stay informed and access the latest developments, initiatives and incentives.