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Dyson plans to invest £100m in a new research and development building opposite Castle Park, close to Bristol Bridge, which would be home to hundreds of software and artificial intelligence engineers, the BBC has reported.
According to the engineering giant, it chose Bristol for its plans for the city’s reputation as an “international hub for software and digital skills”.
While the company is still going through the process of applying for planning permission to convert the building into a research centre, no date has been confirmed for when it would be fully operational.
According to Jake Dyson, son of founder James Dyson and the company’s chief engineer, the centre would focus on sensors, apps and connectivity in future products. Teams at the site would also be tasked with developing appliances due for launch up to a decade in the future.
He told the BBC: “The new Dyson Technology Centre in Bristol will be a vital hub contributing to Dyson’s connected future.”
The company’s UK headquarters are located in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, but the group is reportedly struggling to lure software and AI engineers to the office.
Dyson currently has an office in Bristol where roughly 100 tech specialists are employed. A spokesperson told the BBC that the new centre would create many more jobs, but declined to give a specific number.
News of Dyson’s plans for a development building is part of the group’s £2.75bn investment in manufacturing and research, as it currently has development sites in Singapore, China, Malaysia, Philippines and Poland, besides the UK.
