Shropshire becomes the ‘perfect launchpad’ for AI innovation as businesses flock to Telford
Shropshire is fast gaining a reputation as a UK artificial intelligence hub as the county’s emphasis on education and innovation continues to win key admirers.
Last month, Telford achieved a major coup as pioneering AI firm Aspire Vita moved to Telford & Wrekin Council’s digital, skills, and enterprise hub.
The company identified the town as the ‘perfect launchpad’ for its highly anticipated new platform, Aspire Blueprint, which uses artificial intelligence to automate bespoke business advisory reports to help deliver efficient, high-quality advice to more small and medium-sized businesses.
Telford’s reputation as an AI hub had been bolstered by the arrival of Stiperstone, a Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) that uses the technology to efficiently assist the digital transformation of companies throughout the Midlands and beyond.
Placing its headquarters in Telford’s Central Park, Stiperstone will enable more businesses to integrate AI programs like Microsoft Copilot into their operations. As a result, more businesses throughout Shropshire can be empowered by transformative technology and stronger growth prospects in a way that feeds into the county’s strong pedigree for innovation.
Shropshire’s AI Infrastructure
As a county, Shropshire is gaining a reputation for its growing artificial intelligence fluency, with a flurry of innovations and a governmental focus on infrastructure leading to a series of groundbreaking developments.
Last year, Shrewsbury became the first town in the county to gain a set of AI traffic lights, with a toucan crossing installed on Oteley Road near Shrewsbury Town's Croud Meadow stadium.
The technology can detect pedestrians crossing from between 20 to 30 metres away, helping cyclists to cross while offering better safety during busy periods, such as when football matches are taking place nearby.
With local schools benefiting from last month’s government announcement of £187 million in funding for school programs designed to nurture AI learning in classrooms, it’s clear that the county will be a future hub for more innovation.
As part of the initiative, £24 million has been allocated to TechYouth, a program that’s been designed to provide one million students across every secondary school the opportunity to learn about tech careers.
It’s hoped that the programme will help to accelerate the United Kingdom’s adoption of artificial intelligence. With Microsoft data forecasting that AI could boost the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by £550 million by 2035, it’s clear that educating and upskilling more individuals will remain high on the agenda for years to come.
This AI infrastructure in the county has arrived in addition to last year’s £2.5 million investment to open new training centres throughout Shropshire.
The centres, which were announced for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, and Herefordshire in 2024, were predominantly set to improve skills in manufacturing, engineering, and construction, three industries that are set to be influenced by artificial intelligence in the years ahead.
Additionally, local initiatives can be further accelerated by the ability of local firms to share knowledge through outsourcing talent that can help to upskill in-house staff and apprentices by teaching them new processes surrounding AI.
Employer of Record (EOR) providers like Remote People will play a key role in uniting businesses with tech talent in highly educated nations that operate on similar time zones, like Portugal, which can help to enrich teams with new ideas for problem-solving using artificial intelligence.
Growing Local Innovation
Local businesses are also taking the lead when it comes to AI innovation. In recent months, Shropshire Chamber of Commerce announced that it was adding a new support service for its membership pages by launching a digital marketing platform that’s powered by artificial intelligence.
In a partnership with Reveela Technologies, a pioneering name in AI digital marketing, the tool will empower members to create their own market content that can be optimised and distributed to highly specific target audiences and clients with the help of artificial intelligence automation tools.
The Shropshire Chamber of Commerce has taken a hands-on approach to artificial intelligence in recent months and adopted a special AI focus for its June meeting among its young professionals group.
The meeting featured Doug Hamilton as a guest speaker, a marketing manager at Shrewsbury-based digital solutions firm Shoothill.
With a particular look at how young professionals can harness AI in their workplaces, the Chamber appears to be intent on becoming more proactive in how it prepares the innovators of tomorrow for a future working with the technology.
Shropshire’s Role in AI
Shropshire’s consistent emphasis on nurturing artificial intelligence is helping the county to become one of the most forward-thinking in the United Kingdom as the technological boom continues to gather momentum.
With the prospect of a £550 million boost to the nation’s GDP in the next 10 years looming, it’s clear that Shropshire’s blossoming relationship with AI can help to foster more growth locally as part of what could be a prosperous opportunity for the county.
