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Global Mobility of Highly Skilled Talent Falls Nearly 12% as Competition for AI Expertise Intensifies

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New BCG Research Tracks 221 Million Highly Skilled Professionals Across More Than 200 DestinationsUS Gains Ground in Three of Four Talent Categories but Cedes Share in AI, the Most Strategically Contested CategoryCanada Falls from Top Three to Seventh; UAE Emerges as Rival to the UK

BOSTON, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The international movement of highly skilled professionals fell sharply in 2025, with cross-border relocations dropping from 3.7 million to 3.3 million—a decline of 11.6% and roughly 430,000 fewer movers than the year prior. The pullback was steepest for specialists: STEM talent fell 13%, AI talent 12%, and research professionals 19%. Yet even as overall mobility contracts, competition for the workers who do choose to move, particularly those with AI expertise, is intensifying.

These are among the findings of the BCG Top Talent Tracker Q2 2026, released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The latest edition of BCG’s proprietary tracker analyzed real-time mobility data on 221 million highly skilled professionals, defined as those holding at least a bachelor’s degree, across more than 200 destinations through the end of 2025. This edition also introduces a new category: research talent, comprising individuals with doctoral (PhD) degrees, who represent the most educated segment of the mobile talent pool and a leading indicator of where future science and innovation will concentrate.

“The headline numbers mask something more consequential beneath the surface,” said Johann Harnoss, a partner and associate director at BCG and a coauthor of the report. “The US is extending its lead in highly skilled, STEM, and research talent, even against the backdrop of tighter immigration policy. But in AI, it is not. Whether this proves a temporary leveling or the start of a structural shift may become one of the defining questions of the next decade of the global technology race.”

Traditional Hubs Lose Ground as Gulf States Rise

The country-level shifts are striking. Canada, once a top-three destination for highly skilled talent, dropped to seventh place, recording the largest single-year market share loss among major destinations (–2.1 percentage points). The UK, despite maintaining top-three standing in highly skilled, AI, and research categories, lost ground across all talent groups.

Among the other notable country-level developments:

The UAE attracted nearly 194,000 highly skilled workers, gaining 0.8 percentage points of market share, and is now quickly gaining on the UK in both highly skilled and AI talent rankings.Saudi Arabia recorded the highest talent retention ratio (2.6x) of any major destination, reflecting growing success in keeping the talent it attracts.France and Spain posted gains across all talent categories, standing out among many European peers.Germany rose to third place as a destination for research talent, as anglophone hubs cede ground to continental Europe among PhD-level professionals.India ranked in the top three for STEM and AI talent inflows, but these flows may be driven largely by nonresident Indians returning home, not broad-based attraction of new foreign talent.

The Stakes: Talent Openness Linked to Technology Leadership

BCG’s analysis makes the strategic consequences of the talent race concrete. Countries that lead in talent for a given technology are 17 times more likely to also lead in that technology. At the firm level, companies that attract more global talent into leadership positions generate 1 additional percentage point of shareholder value per year.

For leaders in both the public and private sectors, BCG identifies three interlocking levers for competing effectively: domestic workforce upskilling, technology and automation adoption, and immigration strategy reform. No single lever is sufficient. A holistic approach, a “talent trifecta,” is required.

“The data sends a clear message to leaders: talent strategy is not an HR issue, it is a competitiveness issue,” said Christian Schwaerzler, a managing director and senior partner at BCG and a coauthor of the report. “The nations and companies that treat global talent attraction and retention as a core strategic priority will be best positioned to lead in the technologies that define the next decade.”

Download the publication here:
https://www.bcg.com/publications/2026/the-global-race-for-ai-talent-is-far-from-over

Media Contact:
Eric Gregoire
+1 617 850 3783
gregoire.eric@bcg.com

About Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group bridges the gap between ambition and outcomes for the world’s leading companies and organizations. We are built for this era of unprecedented change — bringing strategic clarity rooted in over 60 years of deep domain knowledge, combined with applied AI shaped by our practitioners. BCG works shoulder-to-shoulder with CEOs across industries and geographies to deliver transformative impact at scale: stronger returns, transferred capabilities, and change that sticks. For more information, visit bcg.com.

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SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

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Ineffable Intelligence Selects Google Cloud To Power Its Superintelligence Mission

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Following a rigorous evaluation of the infrastructure market and a historic $1.1 billion seed round, Ineffable Intelligence enters agreement with Google Cloud to develop the world’s first “superlearner”

LONDON, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Google Cloud Summit London ’26 — Google Cloud and Ineffable Intelligence today announced a strategic partnership in which Google will provide the specialized infrastructure for Ineffable’s new frontier AI lab. Under the agreement, Ineffable Intelligence, the London-based startup founded by AlphaGo visionary David Silver, has selected Google Cloud as its preferred cloud partner, utilizing Google’s world-class AI-optimized technology to advance the next frontier of artificial intelligence: systems that learn continuously from their own experience.

The partnership follows Ineffable Intelligence’s historic $1.1 billion seed round, the largest of its kind in European history. Ineffable Intelligence will utilize Google Cloud’s high-performance computing capabilities to accelerate its mission of developing a “superlearner.” This partnership will also see Ineffable Intelligence deploy one of the largest clusters of A5X, powered by NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 GPUs on Google Cloud, delivering massive computational scale.

Experience-based learning places fundamentally different demands on computing infrastructure than training on static datasets. Rather than learning from static datasets, these systems generate, evaluate, and learn from vast amounts of experience in real time, requiring enormous computational scale, high-performance networking, and tightly integrated training and inference systems. Google Cloud’s infrastructure will provide the foundation for this next generation of AI development.

Powering frontier AI with Google Cloud’s AI stack

While the industry has seen a surge in simple GPU-renting agreements, Ineffable Intelligence chose Google Cloud for its integrated AI Hypercomputer architecture. Unlike a standard “box of chips” approach, Google Cloud provides a systems-level optimization that combines performance-engineered GPUs with high-efficiency AI networking and storage.

“Training frontier models requires more than just raw compute; it requires a sophisticated orchestration of hardware and software,” said David Silver, CEO and Founder of Ineffable Intelligence. “We evaluated the space and chose Google Cloud as the best fit for our reinforcement learning infrastructure. We aren’t just looking for processors; we are building a resilient and scalable environment to make ‘first contact’ with superintelligence, AI that transcends human limitations in science, mathematics, and technology.”

Europe’s new frontier in AI

The collaboration signals a shift in the global AI landscape, positioning Ineffable Intelligence as a cornerstone of Europe’s growing AI ecosystem. By basing operations in London and leveraging Google Cloud’s secure infrastructure, Ineffable is poised to attract the continent’s premier engineering talent to solve the world’s most complex technical challenges.

“We are honored that the Ineffable Intelligence team has chosen Google Cloud to power its mission,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud. “Ineffable is leveraging our full-stack AI Hypercomputer, from Jupiter networking to our optimized storage, to ensure its researchers can focus on breakthroughs, not bottlenecks. This partnership reflects how leading AI innovators are choosing Google Cloud to move faster and focus on revolutionary research and real-world impact.”

About Ineffable Intelligence
Ineffable Intelligence is the frontier AI company on a mission to make first contact with superintelligence. Founded by David Silver in London, it aims to create a superlearner that discovers all knowledge from its own experience, from elementary motor skills through to profound intellectual breakthroughs. This superlearning capability – the ability to endlessly discover knowledge and skills, without relying on human data – will be driven by the world’s most powerful reinforcement learning algorithms. The superlearner is expected to rediscover and then transcend the greatest inventions in human history, such as language, science, mathematics and technology – a scientific breakthrough of comparable magnitude to Darwin.

About Google Cloud
Google Cloud offers a powerful, optimized AI stack — including AI infrastructure, leading models like Gemini, data management capabilities, multicloud security solutions, developer tools and platform, as well as agents and applications — that enables organizations to transform their business for the Agentic Era. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner.

 

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SOURCE Google Cloud

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Univers Unveils Next Generation Platform for Physical AI at VivaTech 2026

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One Univers. One Intelligence Fabric. One Platform for the Physical World.

PARIS, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At VivaTech 2026, Univers unveiled the next generation of its industry-leading platform suite: a Platform for Physical AI that enables enterprises to transform energy, infrastructure and industrial operations into a source of enduring competitive advantage.

As Europe seeks to strengthen industrial competitiveness, energy resilience and technological leadership, organizations face a growing challenge: applying AI reliably across the physical systems that power economies. While generative AI is transforming information work, the next frontier is enabling assets, facilities, energy systems and operations to sense, decide and act in real time.

Built on years of experience managing complex physical infrastructure, the Univers Platform for Physical AI brings together AI, energy and operational intelligence through a unified Intelligence Fabric. The platform continuously learns from operational outcomes, creating what Univers calls Compounding Intelligence—a growing intelligence advantage that enables organizations to deploy generative, agentic and autonomous AI in mission-critical environments with confidence.

Today, Univers connects over 400 million devices and manages more than 1,000 GW of energy assets and globally, orchestrating complex operational workflows across energy, building, transportation, logistics and industrial sectors.

“Europe’s next competitive advantage will be built not only on AI, but on the ability to apply AI to the physical world,” said Valerio Dilda, Senior Vice President, Europe, Univers. “The organizations that move first to build compounding intelligence across their operations will create a lasting advantage in productivity, resilience and innovation. Our Platform for Physical AI provides the foundation to make that possible.”

With four Centers of Excellence focused on Solar, Wind, Mobility and Energy and Resources across Europe alone, Univers helps enterprises unlock greater value from existing infrastructure while accelerating the transition from digital intelligence to autonomous operations.

About Univers

Univers operates one of the world’s largest real-time intelligence platforms for physical infrastructure, managing more than 1,000 GW of energy assets and connecting over 400 million devices globally. Through its Platform for Physical AI, Univers helps organizations orchestrate complex energy, infrastructure and operational systems with intelligence that continuously learns and improves over time.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/univers-unveils-next-generation-platform-for-physical-ai-at-vivatech-2026-302798852.html

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DXC Expands Relationship with Norske Skog to Modernize Network and Technology Operations

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Multi-year partnership delivers a modern, secure network solution while broadening DXC’s role across Norske Skog’s technology environment

OSLO, Norway, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), a leading enterprise technology and innovation partner today announced an expansion of its long-standing relationship with Norske Skog, a leading producer of publication paper and recycled containerboard in Norway. DXC will design, implement and operate a new software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN)—a modern, software-driven network that securely connects sites and —over the next four years, while also serving as its primary technology partner and trusted advisor across its broader technology estate.

Norske Skog’s network is the critical backbone connecting the company’s physical locations including offices and mills. Because the infrastructure plays a central role in ensuring availability and security, reliable service delivery is paramount. In selecting DXC to support the transformation of its network services, Norske Skog sought a more robust and responsive solution to improve service quality. DXC’s new network solution is designed to deliver stronger security, improved performance, greater scalability, and simplified management across Norske Skog’s locations.

“We are pleased to expand our long-standing partnership with DXC Technology as we modernize our network infrastructure. With a new software-defined wide area network, we will benefit from secure, scalable connectivity across our sites, improving performance and supporting our continued digital development. We also value DXC as a trusted advisor across our broader technology landscape.” Says Børge Teigland, CIO Norske Skog

“Expanding our relationship with Norske Skog reflects the trust we’ve built over time and DXC’s ability to deliver in critical environments,” said Espen Olsen, Managing Director DXC Norway. “By modernizing Norske Skog’s network infrastructure and taking on a broader role across their technology operations, we’re helping build a stronger, more secure foundation that supports the business today and as it evolves.”

DXC Technology is a long-standing partner to Norske Skog with more than 20 years of experience delivering end-to-end business and IT services. Today, DXC manages a significant part of Norske Skog’s IT estate, reflecting a deep and strategic partnership built on trust, reliability, and consistent delivery. As a trusted advisor, DXC continues to support Norske Skog across infrastructure, applications, and operational services, helping to modernize and optimize its technology landscape.

About DXC Technology
DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) is a leading enterprise technology and innovation partner delivering software, services, and solutions to global enterprises and public sector organizations — helping them harness AI to drive outcomes at a time of exponential change with speed. With deep expertise in Managed Infrastructure Services, Application Modernization, and Industry-Specific Software Solutions, DXC modernizes, secures, and operates some of the world’s most complex technology estates. Learn more on dxc.com.

About Norske Skog
Norske Skog is a producer of packaging paper and publication paper across four mills in Europe. Packaging paper includes testliner and fluting and publication paper includes newsprint and magazine paper. The annual production capacity of packaging paper is 0.8 million tonnes, and the annual production capacity of publication paper is 1.2 million tonnes. Packaging paper and publication paper are sold through sales offices and agents. Norske Skog has approximately 1 650 employees and the parent company, Norske Skog ASA, a public limited liability company, is incorporated in Norway and has its head office in Oslo. The company is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange with the ticker NSKOG.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ashley Houk-Temple, Media Relations, ashley.houktemple@dxc.com 

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