Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab Liverpool opens in iconic Royal Liver Building

Kyndryl is opening its new Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab Liverpool at the iconic Royal Liver Building. The new office welcomes customers from the UK and beyond and offers advisory and co-creation services led by Kyndryl Consult. It opens with a team of AI and software engineering specialists and degree apprentices focused on AI and data science. The goal is to grow the team and create up to 1,000 software engineering and AI-related roles within three years.

Having undergone significant renovations to provide state-of-the-art amenities and facilities, employees working out of the new Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab Liverpool will benefit from a coffee shop, cafe, showers, bike park, a range of health and wellbeing classes with access to on-site gym and fitness studio. The building is powered by energy, from wind, solar and hydro sources. It has won multiple Green Apple Environmental awards, is ISO 22301 certified, and has a rooftop beehive producing honey since 2022.

At the new Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab Liverpool, Kyndryl professionals will advise businesses in adopting and implementing AI, emerging technologies and software and platform engineering solutions. It will include a Kyndryl Vital Studio, led by Kyndryl Consult, allowing customers to tackle complex and real-world business challenges through designer-led, open collaboration and co-creation.

As part of the new hub opening, Kyndryl is expanding its partnership with The Very Group, the Liverpool-based operator of digital retailers Very and Littlewoods, through a new multiyear agreement designed to enhance and accelerate the retailer’s end-to-end digital capabilities. Kyndryl will provide comprehensive software and platform engineering support, helping The Very Group launch new products at speed and enhance the digital customer experience.

John Chambers, Kyndryl United Kingdom & Ireland President, said, “We are exceptionally proud to invest in the Liverpool City Region by opening the Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab Liverpool that champions collaboration, creative excellence and digital curiosity. Choosing the Royal Liver Building was a proactive decision to celebrate the city’s rich heritage, while aligning with our sustainability goals of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040.”

“With businesses eager to develop AI capabilities, our new Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab Liverpool represents a significant step in addressing the AI skills gap,” said Chambers. “Only 29% of leaders currently feel prepared for AI-related challenges, yet the demand for these skills continues to grow. By fostering AI innovation here in Liverpool, we aim to ensure that organisations – both locally and beyond – are ready to capitalise on the transformative power of AI.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “The Royal Liver Building has stood as a symbol of our region’s ambition and identity for over a century - so it’s fitting that it is to become home to a project that’s looking firmly to the future.”

“Kyndryl’s new AI Innovation Lab is a major investment in our region and a massive show of confidence in the talent we have here. It will bring with up to 1,000 quality jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities for local people - helping to put our residents at the heart of one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.

“I want the Liverpool City Region to be a leader in artificial intelligence - but the kind that makes a difference to people’s lives. AI that’s ethical, inclusive, and used for good. And with the skills, the infrastructure and the political will we’ve built, I believe we’re in the perfect place to make that happen.”

The new Kyndryl AI Innovation Lab Liverpool will leverage Kyndryl’s infrastructure expertise by supporting companies in integrating mission-critical operations via business applications, utilising global partnerships to accelerate AI and digital transformations. Kyndryl’s investment in Liverpool illustrates the business’ dedication to fostering innovation, building up the next generation of digital leaders through rigorous and dedicated training and skills development initiatives, aligning with the UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, which seeks to position the UK as a global leader in AI.