Tech giant Google has launched an AI research hub in Paris, as announced by the French government. The center will house 300 existing researchers and engineers who were already part of Google Research, DeepMind, YouTube, and Chrome teams.

Why Paris?

In recent years, Paris has become a hotspot for AI research labs established by major tech companies, including Meta’s FAIR (Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research) lab since 2015. The city has also fostered a thriving ecosystem of AI startups.

The move is seen as a strategic investment, emphasizing France’s attractiveness for tech firms, especially in AI. The French capital has actively positioned itself as a tech hub, with Meta establishing an AI research team in Paris in 2015. The new Google AI hub is located in a renovated building near the existing Paris office and was inaugurated by CEO Sundar Pichai.

Google has previously invested in its engineering facility in Zurich, Switzerland. The city already accommodates AI-focused teams from Meta, Apple, and Microsoft. Amazon, another key player in AI research, also maintains teams in various locations in Germany and Britain.