London-Based AI Firm Boosts Belfast’s Economy with Over 100 Job Creations
A London-based artificial intelligence (AI) company named Napier AI is set to expand its presence in Belfast by creating over 100 jobs at its new office located in Pearl Assurance in the city centre.
Napier AI specializes in technology that helps financial institutions, including banks, detect and prevent criminal behavior such as money laundering. The firm was founded in 2015 and currently employs a team of 250 people.
The expansion marks an exciting new chapter for the company as it looks to increase its workforce significantly. Already, twenty-five out of the total hundred plus positions have been filled, with expectations that all roles will be occupied by the year 2027. The average salary offered is more than 46,000 per position.
Once fully staffed, Napier AI predicts an additional contribution of nearly 5 million to Northern Ireland’s economy through increased salaries alone. This investment highlights not only the company’s growth but also its confidence in Belfast as a prime location for expansion.
The decision by Greg Watson, CEO of Napier AI, to establish operations in Belfast is rooted in his appreciation for the local talent pool and extensive global research conducted into potential locations, which included cities such as Warsaw, Porto, and Lisbon. After considering various factors like available talent, benefits packages offered by Northern Ireland’s government agencies (such as Invest NI), language barriers, accessibility to higher education institutions that provide AI skills training at a high level, he feels confident in the future of Napier AIs operations within this region.
“We’re trying to bring automation AI to try and solve [money laundering], and we feel like were making a big difference,” Mr. Watson explained about his company’s mission against what they perceive as one significant “blight” in society – money laundering, which globally involves the laundered sum of 3.2 trillion dollars annually.
On this development, Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald commented that its a vote of confidence for Northern Ireland and emphasized how these high-tech jobs align with their economic vision. Invest NI’s Kieran Donoghue echoed similar sentiments by terming the news “wonderful” while also noting that creating such quality roles would enhance Northern Ireland’s reputation among other tech companies looking to expand.
The expansion of Napier AI in Belfast promises significant benefits for young professionals aiming for a career in the technology sector, as well as bolstering data science, software engineering and professional services within Northern Irelands economy. This move signals an increased recognition of local talent by global leaders like Greg Watson from Napier AI.
