Indian firm opens Scottish hub

Indian digital services firm Wipro is creating 60 jobs with the opening of an Edinburgh base as part of a major push into the sector in Scotland.

The “pod” will house staff from Wipro’s digital strategy, design and engineering teams and work with businesses to help them take advantage of developments such as artificial intelligence.

Wipro, which employs almost 4,500 people across the UK, has 15 other pods around the world, including those in Australia and Japan.

UK international trade minister Greg Hands said: “This investment from Wipro into the Edinburgh pod stands as a testament to the worldleading innovation and digital expertise that the UK has to offer, and will result in the creation of more than 60 jobs.

“As an international economic department, we continue to support foreign investment into cutting edge technology.”

He added that the investment was “yet another vote of confidence in the strength of Scotland’s tech industry”.

Rajan Kohli, global head of Wipro Digital, said: “The Edinburgh pod is a significant milestone in our growth journey, bringing us closer to our clients in Scotland and further building upon our footprint.”

He said the pod format enables clients to “rapidly experiment with new ideas and develop insights”.

The investment comes after a record year for foreign investment into the UK, with 183 new projects in Scotland creatingmorethan5,500jobs.

Software and computer services were one of the biggest beneficiaries of foreign investment across the UK with almost 12,500 jobs supported.

Lastyearedinburghreceived the highest level of digital tech investment in the UK outside of London – £159 million.