What are Amazon's 'brainboxes' working on in Cambridge?
Hundreds of new staff will develop 'everything from machine learning to streaming video technology'
Amazon is to hire 400 extra staff to work in a new R&D centre in Cambridge, bringing to 1,500 the total number of its UK employees working on new "innovations".
UK country manager Doug Gurr said: "By the end of this year, we will have more than 1,500 innovation related roles here in Britain, working on everything from machine learning and drone technology to streaming video technology and Amazon Web Services."
There will also be a new, purpose-built headquarters measuring 60,000sq-ft built near the railway station. At the moment, Amazon staff are dotted around the city in several locations.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Staff will work on existing Amazon tech such as Alexa, the company's home assistant rival to Apple's Siri, and Google Home. They will also work on the AI software which powers Alexa and other innovations.
Amazon's existing Castle Hill office will stay open and will switch to working exclusively on Prime Air, the company's mooted drone delivery system.
Additionally, Amazon also appears to be working on a UK version of the checkout-free grocery shop it has been trialling in the US, says The Guardian.
Amazon Go brand allows customers to fill their baskets and leave with the purchases without going through a till. Sensors charge their online Amazon accounts instead.
The concept has been tested near the company's global HQ in Seattle, but there have been a few "technical glitches" and public opening has been delayed, says the newspaper.
Other technology which may be developed in Cambridge includes Echo Look, a smart camera which utilises Alexa to give fashion advice to users.
Amazon plans to have 15 delivery warehouses open in the UK by the end of 2017, adds the Guardian. It opened a new site in Daventry in February and warehouses are planned this year in Doncaster, Warrington and Tilbury.
The firm's total UK workforce will grow from 19,000 to 24,000 this year.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
UAW scores historic win in South at VW plant
Speed Read Volkswagen workers in Tennessee have voted to join the United Auto Workers union
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 22, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - dystopian laughs, WNBA salaries, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Amazon ending 'Just Walk Out' grocery checkout
Speed Read In its place, the company will let customers scan while they shop with Amazon Dash Cart
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Justice Department bites Apple with iPhone suit
Speed Read The lawsuit alleges that the tech company monopolized the smartphone industry
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Artificial history
Opinion Google's AI tailored the past to fit modern mores, but only succeeded in erasing real historical crimes
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Apple kills its secret electric car project
Speed Read Many of the people from Project Titan are being reassigned to work on generative AI
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of virtual reality
Pros and cons The digital world is expanding, for better and for worse
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The Apple Vision Pro's dystopian debut
Why everyone's talking about Is "spatial computing" the next big thing?
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of drone delivery
Pros and cons It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... drone?
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published