RESEARCH, design and engineering company Whitespace has secured a £4 million global partnership contract following a £450,000 investment by its Belfast office to develop a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software.
It has also won a multi-million-pound contract with a UK Government Ministry.
Headquartered in London, Whitespace's "eamli" product is an automated decision intelligence engine that helps augment and inform decisions on best business practice and objectives in both the public and private sectors.
The firm's chief operating officer and head of engineering Glenn McClements said: “Decision-making is a key requirement for businesses, yet we have found that most decisions are based on minimal information and analysis.
“Eamli is an expert, augmented, machine learning, intelligence capability that changes this through a dynamic decision-led approach that uses machine learning to continuously improve its accuracy. By providing data and forecasts that can be altered based on business changes, companies can strategically use this information to grow.
“Invest NI has supported us in many ways, helping us to develop our eamli product through its R&D assistance and to scale at pace. Over the years, our Belfast team has developed an abundance of skills, which made Belfast the perfect location to further develop eamli.”
Kevin Holland, chief executive at Invest NI, which offered £154,000 of support towards the development of its eamli software, said: “Whitespace is an innovative SME that has grown quickly in recent years and now boasts over half of its global team based in Belfast.
“We have supported Whitespace’s growth in Northern Ireland since 2017, offering business advice and support towards product development and international trademarking and patents.
“With our latest R&D support combined with the expertise of its Belfast team, the company has developed an innovative AI product that is already presenting opportunities to compete on the global stage.
“The company’s multi-million contracts and growing partnership opportunities are testament to the importance of investing in R&D and is a strong endorsement of Whitespace’s eamli product offering.”
