Manchester tech and virtual production startup Media Stream AI (MSAI) is to invest £50m in a new Salford data centre, alongside a robotics lab and virtual production studio that it says will be able to use its own proprietary robot arms to shoot content with no human interaction required.
MSAI said its new Canalside AI Data Centre will support the UK’s AI sovereignty strategy, and is targeting a valuation of £2.5bn at IPO in December 2026. It added that it expects to drive £150m of value to the local economy over the next five years, as well as 70 full time jobs in the next 12 months.
MSAI has also joined the Lenovo AI Innovators program, gaining access to Lenovo’s AI labs, technical expertise, and a global network of partners, which means the ability to validate and scale solutions faster, while reaching new customers and collaborators across industries.
The program also ensures that innovations like Production Robotics and IntuiTV – MSAI’s personalised AI-powered TV platform – are built on a foundation of responsible, secure, and sustainable AI-ready infrastructure, giving customers greater confidence as the company grows its impact worldwide.
The hi-tech new additions will all be located at MSAI’s global headquarters at Anchorage Place in MediaCity, and will also include clean tech to help power and cool the facility.
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Media Stream AI will offer a truly integrated and sustainable media technology capability and infrastructure that is developed, built, owned and operating entirely in the North of England:
- The Canal Side AI Data Centre: Media Stream AI’s fully owned and operated 2MW facility, supporting the UK’s AI sovereignty strategy and designed to run on industry-leading infrastructure solutions. Through a Lenovo TruScale agreement, MSAI has the flexibility to consume Lenovo ThinkSystem servers with Neptune warm-water cooling technology on a pay-as-you-grow basis. This Infrastructure-as-a-Service model ensures that as MSAI scales, its infrastructure will scale with it.
- MSAI Robotics: Focuses on the development and building of AI led robotic camera arms in the North of England for use around the world. The objective is to help enhance the capabilities of the global creative community by driving efficiency and quality through the production process with industry leading technology.
- IntuiTV: A new proprietary broadcasting technology with two main applications. The first uses AI technology to optimise broadcast transmission to save valuable resources. The second is the future of programming consumption. In the era of streaming, the overwhelming amount of content has led to fatigue and customer churn. IntuiTV will offer a special personalisation direct-to-consumer solution that can be offered on top of any existing service to give users their own unique TV channel, using biometric and mood markers, picked up using wearables and other devices. The technology will mean that the channel will know exactly what the viewer wants at any moment without the need for any manual search.
- AI VP Studio: A fully automated AI virtual production studio where no human presence at all is required for operation. It will use MSAI’s robotic arms developed on site to offer high quality production capabilities to the film, television and creator sector.
MSAI added that it has also completed an agreement with the Government of Jamaica to build and operate the first AI Data Centre in the country. When finished, the Manchester site will service Europe, while the Jamaica site will service Latin America.
CEO of Media Stream AI, Christopher Kenna said, “Having only started in February of this year, Media Steam AI’s meteoric rise is a testament to the hard work and ingenuity that has been harnessed to bring this new company to market. From contributing to the UK’s sovereign AI capacity, and developing novel clean tech to new broadcasting capabilities and robotics, I’m extremely proud that all this innovation, as part of our global growth strategy, has been built and delivered here in the North West of England.”
Kenna made the announcement at an event at the Manchester offices of KPMG this afternoon (September 23) alongside former Dragon and British Business Bank director and Implement AI founder Piers Linney, Labour MP for Manchester Rusholme Afzal Khan and Lenovo senior solutions specialist Dawn Harrison. UK special forces veteran Kenna is now a successful media entrepreneur who originally founded BA Diversity, Inc, one of the UK’s first media companies dedicated to platforming content for diverse audiences. He has also advised TikTok, Met Police, ITV and the V+A Museum.
Anchorage Quay Image: Hilver Reker/Creative Commons
