Edinburgh: Data Capital of Europe

16 Pages Posted: 7 Jan 2020

See all articles by Ewan Sutherland

Ewan Sutherland

University of the Witwatersrand, LINK Centre

Date Written: December 16, 2019

Abstract

The banner on a quadripartite package to boost the economy of Edinburgh and adjacent parts of Scotland is that it will become the 'Data capital of Europe', through coordinated efforts by the United Kingdom government, Scottish Ministers, several local authorities, universities and colleges. The deal stands outside conventional administrative and constitutional arrangements, being struck between the various bodies, committing themselves to spend some £1.3 billion in order to create 24,000 jobs through raising the competitiveness of the region in artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics. Edinburgh was already forecast to achieve significant economic and population growth, with commercial developments underway to transform parts of its city centre. The deal aims to boost research, principally at the University of Edinburgh, and support the creation of technological start-ups. However, the 'data capital' aspiration is undefined and immeasurable, thus unhelpful. Whereas there are many more conventional city rankings for artificial intelligence, innovation and smart cities, in which Edinburgh scores moderately well for a city of its size.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, data, data analytics, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

JEL Classification: o21,o25, o38, o52, r58, l52, l86

Suggested Citation

Sutherland, Ewan, Edinburgh: Data Capital of Europe (December 16, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3504740 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3504740

Ewan Sutherland (Contact Author)

University of the Witwatersrand, LINK Centre ( email )

1 Jan Smuts Avenue
Wits
Johannesburg, Gauteng 2000
South Africa

HOME PAGE: http://link.wits.ac.za/

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