Welcome to my weekly South West Tech News roundup, where you can get all the headlines from the past week in one place.
What has our busy tech and digital community been up to this week? From award wins and innovative breakthroughs to unmissable events and capital raised, take a moment to reflect on the hive of daily activity taking place in our region.
If you have a story to share, wizz it over to beno@techspark.co – I look forward to hearing from you!
Neighbourly backed by private equity firm - funding will support continued growth
Bristol-based technology platform, Neighbourly ,has been backed by private equity firm Palatine with funding from its pioneering Growth Credit Fund.
Neighbourly helps businesses to deliver employee volunteering programmes, provide financial support, and donate surplus products to thousands of vetted local charities and good causes across the UK and Ireland.
Since being established in 2014, Neighbourly has facilitated nearly £1bn of impact into local communities. It counts Sainsbury’s, RSA Insurance, M&S, Virgin Media O2, Aldi and Lidl among its clients.
Beam Unveils Self-Driving Subsea Robot Set to Revolutionise Wind Farm Operations
Beam, a leading provider of high-technology offshore wind services, has announced Scout at Web Summit: an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) driven by artificial intelligence (AI). Scout, a concept expected to enter the market in 2025, will put the power of subsea inspection directly in the hands of wind farm operators.
This is an important step in Beam’s journey to develop cutting-edge underwater technologies that transform the viability and scalability of offshore wind. The breakthrough solution will combine advanced AI, real-time 3D reconstructions, and precise navigation to deliver inspections that are quicker and more cost-effective. As demonstrated in a successful world-first deployment at SSE’s Seagreen Wind Farm in September 2024, the system’s fully autonomous self-driving capabilities also require minimal human intervention.
Government to fund thousands of tech degrees with £500m skills drive
The recently elected Labour government is looking tackle the digital and technical skills gap by launching a £500m skills drive, funding thousands of new advanced degrees in science and technology.
“Backing the next generation of great scientific minds to fulfil their potential is crucial to unlocking the discoveries which improve our lives and keep our economy growing over the long term through highly skilled jobs,” said Technology Secretary Peter Kyle.
Graphcore begins hiring drive with 75 new jobs
Graphcore is announcing the creation of 75 new jobs, strengthening the company’s talent base as it develops the next generation of AI compute. The roles span a wide range of disciplines, including silicon design, hardware, datacenter infrastructure , software and AI research.
The recruiting drive represents a 20% increase in Graphcore’s workforce and comes after the company joined SoftBank Group, one of the world’s leading investors in artificial intelligence.
