Dyson - the company known for its vacuum cleaners and fans - has announced major new plans for a new tech hub in Bristol.
The household appliances giant is looking to redevelop a building at near Bristol Bridge and opposite Castle Park, where it said "hundreds" of software and AI engineers could work.
The business, which was founded in Wiltshire by Sir James Dyson more than 30 years ago and is now a global tech firm, said it was intending for its new home, at number one Georges Square in Redcliffe, to be a research facility, where it would develop a 10-year product pipeline of gadgets and apps. The company's commercial and online sales teams for the UK and Ireland will also be based at the new Bristol office, as part of the proposals.
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Dyson, which already has an IT office near Bristol Cathedral, said its plans reflected Bristol's position as “an international hub for software and digital skills” and would create jobs for UK-based and international talent.
Chief engineer Jake Dyson, son of Sir James, said: “To us, sensors, apps, and connectivity are about more than simply adding function to the machine. They transform how we support our owners and assess autonomously how to improve a product’s performance over its lifetime to ensure they are at peak performance.
“We have significant ambitions and will hire increasing numbers of software, AI and connectivity engineers as part of a growing global team. The new Dyson Technology Centre in Bristol will be a vital hub contributing to Dyson’s connected future.”
Last year, the firm said it would transform former RAF air hangars at its campus at Hullavington Airfield in Wiltshire into a new research and development facility, where it is developing new robotics and wearable tech. The company launched a set of air-purifying headphones last year, which it said “simultaneously” tackle the issues of air quality and noise pollution in cities.
Dyson currently employs around more than 3,500 people in the UK, with its second Wiltshire site in Malmesbury the base for its engineering institute.
As well as the new Bristol facility, Dyson also revealed it would build a new battery plant in Singapore, where the company relocated its global headquarters to last year, and an additional £166m tech hub in the Philippines, where it plans to create 400 new engineering jobs.
Sir James said: “Software, connectivity, AI, and proprietary new technology batteries will power the next generation of Dyson technology. Just like our long-term investments in pioneering digital electric motor technology, Dyson’s next generation battery technology will drive a major revolution in the performance and sustainability of Dyson’s machines.”
Dyson announced a five-year, £2.75bn investment plan in 2020, with the firm looking to double its product range and enter entirely new fields by 2025.
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