ByteDance is preparing to establish an AI research center in Europe, according to an exclusive report from Chinese media outlet AI Tech Review. The report, quoting what it refers to as informed sources, said that the TikTok owner has begun seeking large language model researchers and AI professionals on the continent and is actively recruiting at a high level of expertise.
Why it matters: The move implies that ByteDance’s strategy to strengthen its AI capabilities in Europe and expand its global tech footprint is underway. Establishing an AI R&D center in Europe aligns with the company’s stated goals and may drive further advancements across Bytedance’s platforms, including TikTok.
Details: Among European countries, Switzerland, the UK, and France are relatively advanced in AI technology, the AI Tech Review report stated.
- Switzerland is emerging as one of the world’s leading robotics innovation centers, thanks to strong tech expertise and talent density at institutions such as ETH Zurich (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich) and EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne). Switzerland hosts the most Google offices outside of India, with around 5,000 employees working across Google Assistant, YouTube, Cloud, Commerce, Research, Geo, Core, and Ads sectors in the country.
- The UK and France have been competing to become the continent’s AI hub since last year, according to AI Tech Review. The former is aiming to position the AI tech sector as central to its economic development, while the latter is making intense investments in AI training and research.
- In September, ByteDance welcomed a new European board member, Xavier Niel, the French billionaire who founded Iliad, a major French internet and mobile service provider. The move signaled a clear intention to expand into the European market.
Context: With its ambitions not limited to Europe, Reuters reported in June that ByteDance plans to invest around $2.13 billion to establish an AI center in Malaysia. Furthermore, the company aims to invest another $1.5 billion to enhance its existing data center facilities in the country.
- Last January, ByteDance began assembling a large language model team. By August 2023, the company launched its self-developed model Skylark and AI dialogue product Doubao.
- In October 2024, ByteDance and Tsinghua University‘s Institute of AI Industry Research jointly established the scalable large language model intelligent tech research center SIA Lab to advance industry-academia collaboration in AI.