Aidan Daly
Databricks, a data, analytics and artificial intelligence company, has announced increased investments and expansion in San Francisco, including relocating to a new, larger headquarters and commitment to hosting the annual Data + AI Summit user conference in the next five years.
In a press release Thursday, Patrick Wendell, co-founder and vice president of engineering at Databricks, said, “Databricks has deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, with our founding team having first met as researchers at U.C. Berkeley. San Francisco is quickly becoming the AI capital of the world and we are thrilled to be investing heavily in the city. These investments reaffirm our commitment to the Bay Area and will help us rapidly expand our workforce, with a particular focus on engineering and AI talent.”
The 150,000-square-foot office at One Sansome Street is located at the center of San Francisco’s technology and financial center and should help accelerate the adoption of the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. It also features the Data and AI Academy to enhance skills and train customers on the latest AI developments.
Furthermore, Databricks plans to invest more than $1 billion in its San Francisco operations over the next three years. The company expects 20,000 people to attend the Data + AI Summit in June and grow to about 50,000 by 2030. Its annual hosting of the event should also translate to an additional $980 million in business value for San Francisco within the period.
Databricks’ valuation rose to $62 billion after completing a $15 billion financing round in January. The company employs about 8,000 and is present in 23 countries. However, many of its customers are from San Francisco.
“We’re excited to more than double our San Francisco employee footprint over the next two years,” said Amy Reichanadter, Databricks’ chief people officer. “Opening a new office designed for today’s dynamic work environment will enable us to attract top talent, further enhance collaboration, and deliver cutting-edge data and AI solutions for our customers.”
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, said, “The city of San Francisco is committed to fostering an environment where technology companies can thrive, create jobs, and drive innovation. We’re thrilled that Databricks is committed to a long-term investment in the city and excited to strengthen the city’s position on the world stage as a leader in the future of technology. This investment represents a unique contribution to the momentum of San Francisco’s recovery and future success.”
