Ericsson is set to move its research and development (R&D) headquarters to a bigger site as part of efforts to build out AI-enabled software and autonomous network solutions.

Ericsson's global R&D headquarters is in Athlone, Ireland, and is the town’s largest employer. The move to a bigger facility in that own has been rumored for some time, with local press saying it was first communicated to staff last December.

According to reports, the move to a bigger facility is expected to be completed by 2029.

“Ericsson’s new Athlone facility is a significant milestone in our longstanding partnership with Ireland. This investment will empower our teams to develop and deliver AI-enabled software and autonomous network solutions for customers globally,” Jenny Lindqvist, SVP and head of cloud software and services at Ericsson, explained upon formal announcement of the move. “Our commitment to Athlone reflects the strength of Ireland’s talent, collaborative innovation environment, and our shared ambition to lead the future of secure and intelligent networks.”

The Swedish-headquartered firm first opened up shop in Athlone in 1974, with Ericsson claiming it has invested more than $3.3 billion in Athlone since 2000. The vendor announced a three-year, $224 million R&D investment program in Athlone only last year, an effort supported by the Irish Government through its IDA Ireland initiative.

Ericsson's move to a bigger home in Athlone comes amid expansions of its AI-infused network offerings. The vendor is going toe-to-toe with rival Nokia in efforts spanning AI radio access networks (AI-RAN), autonomy across operations support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS), and traffic development from AI amid a continued dearth in telecom spending.

Ericsson's new CEO Per Narvinger even referenced the AI shift in a statement upon taking the reins from the retiring Börje Ekholm, saying: “As AI continues to industrialize, this will increasingly require advanced connectivity solutions, an area where Ericsson is leading.”

“Ericsson has been an important partner in Ireland's success story for more than 50 years, and this announcement further cements the Athlone site's position as a center of excellence for advanced research and development with global impact,” Peter Burke, Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment, noted. “The government, through IDA Ireland, is committed to supporting investments such as this that drive innovation, create opportunities, and strengthen regional economic development.”

Ericsson’s Ireland R&D expansion comes as it tried, and ultimately failed, to cut more than 130 employees at its Genoa, Italy office, which included the entirety of its Optics R&D division and part of another R&D department that dealt with advanced network technologies and infrastructure. Reports of planned layoffs were u-turned less than a month after they hit headlines in mid-September.