TCS sets up Pace Port in London to promote business, tech collaboration

Seventh such international facility the Indian IT services company has set up

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has opened a dedicated innovation hub in London that will help businesses in the United Kingdom “harness cutting-edge technology” and collaborate, said the Indian company on Wednesday.

The London Pace Port is the seventh such hub in TCS's global network, after Amsterdam, New York, Paris, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Tokyo. It will offer programmes to skilled professionals and opportunities for learning and growth.

TCS said Pace Ports are meant for “co-innovation” with clients and the larger ecosystem comprising academics, startups and technology companies.

"UK businesses are committed to investing in technology and digital solutions to transform their business and operating models. Bringing our global network of Pace Ports to London will provide an environment that fosters collaboration, drives innovation, and helps businesses in the UK (United Kingdom) harness cutting-edge technology, collaborate and grow across industry borders into ecosystem models," said Amit Kapur, head of the UK & Ireland at TCS.

Using TCS's expertise in technology-based business transformation, the hub will “serve as a catalyst” for innovation-led solutions. It will include emerging technologies that will empower businesses in the UK to navigate a volatile marketplace. The Pace Port will focus on innovation across industries, government priorities, and critical national infrastructure.

TCS is already advising businesses in the UK and Ireland on adoption strategies for artificial intelligence (AI). In a recent TCS survey of more than 100 companies in the UK and Ireland, 41 per cent respondents said they are largely AI-driven and use the technology’s capabilities.

More than 37 per cent of business executives in the UK and Ireland said their employees will interact with Generative AI (GenAI) daily in the next three years. The London Pace Port will give businesses in the UK the tools and expertise to create a digital and AI strategy and support the UK government's vision of being a leader in that technology.

"Enterprises across industries are looking for ways to quickly adopt AI and GenAI to enhance their competitive differentiation. At such a time, they need a partner who has a deep understanding of this technology and the right infrastructure to help them," said Marc Hardwick, senior research director, TechMarketView.

"Our state-of-the-art Pace Port London will foster a collaborative ecosystem through TCS's IP, technology expertise and Co-Innovation Network spanning multiple disciplines, including experts from the startup, research and academia in the UK that will help co-innovate and co-create solutions for UK businesses," said Harrick Vin, chief technology officer, TCS.

TCS has operated in the UK for more than 45 years and works with more than 200 of the country's best-known businesses, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Aviva and M&G.

TCS employs more than 23,000 people in the UK and Ireland, making it among the region's biggest information technology company by that standard.