An International Artificial Intelligence and Information Security Lab Set for Cork City
Cork is poised to solidify its burgeoning reputation as a European and global nexus for information security (InfoSec) expertise and commerce, following a significant expansion announcement from leading firm Proofpoint.
Situated along the banks of the Lee, Cork has already attracted esteemed names in the cybersecurity domain. The sector contributes a staggering €1.2 billion annually to the Irish economy.
With notable firms such as Trend Micro, Proofpoint, and McAfee establishing regional operations or European headquarters in the area, Cork has cultivated a robust skill set and an innovative culture. Additionally, in March, BlueVoyant furthered this trend by opening its European headquarters in Cork.
In a further testament to the city’s appeal, Proofpoint is set to augment its operations by hiring over 100 new employees within the next two years.
This investment will not only invigorate the local job market but also introduce specialized roles in data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and large language models (LLMs) as the firm inaugurates its AI Innovation Centre. This initiative is bolstered by support from the Irish Government via IDA Ireland.
The forthcoming AI Innovation Centre in Cork aims to “create a privacy-attested AI environment, ensuring that all data utilized for training Proofpoint’s models maintains safety and anonymity.”
The realms of AI and machine learning (ML) necessitate robust detection models and high-fidelity data pipelines to maximize accuracy in threat detection and operational efficiency.
With this new center, Proofpoint plans to harness larger data sets, thereby empowering its LLMs in high-volume, industry-leading applications, which in turn, bolsters threat detection capabilities for organizations.
“The continued growth of Proofpoint in Cork is a clear indicator of Ireland’s escalating success in attracting premier companies to establish their international hubs here,” stated Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
He further noted that the forthcoming creation of up to 100 new roles, especially in AI and LLMs, enhances Ireland’s stature as a global technology and innovation leader.
To propel this ambitious plan, Proofpoint will introduce 45 new specialist roles initially, followed by a trajectory for additional recruitment over the coming years. These positions will encompass data scientists, as well as AI and LLM specialists.
Additionally, the company plans to establish a security operations team in Cork while enhancing roles within its data security division and expanding office space in the city.
“Our consistent investment in our Ireland-based operations is crucial to our international expansion and fortifying our ability to safeguard European organizations,” remarked Remi Thomas, Chief Financial Officer at Proofpoint.
He emphasized that the sophistication of contemporary cyber threats necessitates the integration of AI in organizational defense mechanisms.
“We are eager to engage with Cork’s technical talent pool to augment our leading-edge AI-driven solutions, enabling us to identify and mitigate emerging threats on an unprecedented scale while maintaining data security.”
“AI distinguishes Proofpoint in a competitive landscape. We possess extensive human-centric threat intelligence data, which amplifies the efficacy of our AI solutions, ensuring that our models evolve in tandem with new vulnerabilities,” expressed Kevin Leusing, Chief Technologist, EMEA at Proofpoint.
“The establishment of our AI Centre in Cork will further elevate these capabilities by assimilating the latest advancements in AI with our unmatched data set, allowing us to stay a step ahead of even the most sophisticated adversaries.”
“Cork continues to affirm its status as a premier cybersecurity hub, and today’s announcement from Proofpoint highlights the region’s increasing significance within this domain,” asserted Michael Lohan, CEO of IDA Ireland.
“Ireland’s rich talent pool, especially in burgeoning technologies such as AI and cybersecurity, is a pivotal factor in attracting such esteemed investments.”
Source link: Corkbeo.ie.
