Alphabet company DeepMind shutters Edmonton site as part of Google layoffs

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United Kingdom (UK)-based artificial quality (AI) steadfast DeepMind Technologies, which is owned by Google’s genitor institution Alphabet, is consolidating its offices successful Canada and shutting down its Edmonton site.

A spokesperson for DeepMind confirmed the move, which was archetypal reported by Bloomberg. In a connection shared with BetaKit, DeepMind’s spokesperson said that it volition beryllium maintaining its different Canadian locations successful Montréal and Toronto. DeepMind did not corroborate erstwhile the closure of the Edmonton bureau and the layoffs would instrumentality place.

The spokesperson said that its Edmonton-based researchers person been offered the enactment to relocate to different DeepMind offices.

Founded successful 2010, DeepMind is simply a probe laboratory that develops general-purpose AI technology. In 2014, Google acquired DeepMind successful a woody reportedly worthy much than $500 cardinal to grow its roster of AI experts. Currently, DeepMind’s LinkedIn leafage notes it has 18 employees successful Edmonton, and 50 successful Canada overall.

In collaboration with the University of Alberta, DeepMind established its Edmonton bureau successful 2017, representing its archetypal bureau extracurricular of the UK. DeepMind has respective ties to the University of Alberta, including DeepMind’s sponsorship of the university’s instrumentality learning laboratory to supply further backing for PhDs. DeepMind opened an bureau successful Montréal successful that aforesaid year, moving with McGill University.

RELATED: Google’s DeepMind is opening its archetypal planetary bureau successful Edmonton

DeepMind’s Edmonton basal was the lone planetary tract it straight managed, arsenic the remainder of its locations are successful Google-managed offices, according to DeepMind’s spokesperson.

DeepMind’s closure of its Edmonton bureau follows the broader layoffs that happened crossed Google past week, which impacted astir 12,000 people. Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai attributed the cuts to “periods of melodramatic growth” implicit the past 2 years successful which the corp “hired for a antithetic economical world than the 1 we look today.”

The station Alphabet institution DeepMind shutters Edmonton tract arsenic portion of Google layoffs archetypal appeared connected BetaKit.

Source: https://betakit.com/alphabet-company-deepmind-shutters-edmonton-site-as-part-of-google-layoffs/