Amazon Expands Boston Tech Hub; Adds 2,000 New Tech Roles

Amazon, announced news on Tuesday (May 1) that it will expand its Boston Tech Hub, creating 2,000 new tech jobs in fields including machine learning, speech science, cloud computing and robotics engineering.

In a press release, the eCommerce giant said that together with its customer fulfillment facilities, Amazon has created more than 3,500 jobs in Massachusetts and, since 2011, has invested more than $400 million in the state.

“Amazon is excited to create 2,000 more jobs in greater Boston,” said Amazon’s Vice President and Head Scientist of Amazon Alexa, Rohit Prasad, who is based in the Boston area, in the press release. “In just a few years, we’ve grown from a handful of software developers and scientists to a team of more than 1,200, inventing new capabilities and products on behalf of millions of customers around the world. Thank you to all our partners across the city and the state for welcoming us, helping us create these thousands of new jobs and contributing to the already vibrant tech industry in the area.”

According to Amazon, the teams based in Boston are focused mainly on Alexa, Amazon Web Services and Audible. The Boston-based machine learning scientists and engineers, for example, are working to improve the experiences of customers interacting with Alexa. To meet the new job creations, Amazon said it will expand 430,000 square feet in WS Development’s Seaport project — a 7.6 million-square-foot development transforming the waterfront of Boston. That office is slated to open in 2021. By doing so, Amazon said it can double its tech workforce in the Boston metropolitan area.

“Massachusetts’ innovation economy is powered by a talented workforce, exceptional educational institutions and companies like Amazon at the forefront of research and development,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Amazon’s expansion in the Seaport will bring thousands of new jobs to the Commonwealth and build upon the hundreds of jobs they already have here in research and development fulfillment centers and robotics.”

According to the company, since 2011, Amazon has invested more than $400 million in the state, including building a customer fulfillment center and research facilities. Amazon said these investments have contributed an additional $40 million to Massachusetts’ economy and generated 600 indirect jobs on top of the company’s direct hires.

“It’s great news for Boston that Amazon is expanding its footprint in the Seaport, bringing new jobs and economic opportunities to our city,” Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh noted in the press release. “This project is a tremendous vote of confidence in our economy and will be a welcome addition to Boston’s growing and thriving workforce and business landscape.”