Amazon making big bet on Boston
BOSTON — Amazon unveiled plans on Tuesday for a major expansion in Boston’s Seaport District, promising 2,000 new technology jobs even as the city remains in contention for the company’s coveted second headquarters.
Seattle-based Amazon announced it would move into a 430,000-square-foot “Tech Hub” in 2021 and said the new jobs would be created in fields including machine learning, speech science, cloud and robotics.
The company has about 1,200 workers in the city, said Rohit Prasad, a Bostonbased vice president and head scientist of Amazon Alexa.
In 2016, the company opened a fulfillment center in Fall River, Mass., that employs more than 1,000 workers.
The Seaport district fell largely into decay and disuse in the middle part of the 20th century before being transforming in recent decades into a center for cutting-edge computing technology firms.
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Democratic Boston Mayor Marty Walsh both celebrated Amazon’s decision, with Walsh labeling it a strong vote of confidence for the city.
“It’s great news for Boston that Amazon is expanding its footprint in the Seaport, bringing new jobs and economic opportunities to our city,” Walsh said in a statement.
Critics have residents and said Boston particularly