CTI Digital builds sovereign AI platform in Manchester

CTI Digital has built a sovereign AI platform for internal use. The Manchester company says the system is designed to keep control of data, intellectual property and AI infrastructure in-house.

The platform has been developed and deployed for CTI Digital employees, who will use it in a private environment rather than through public AI services. It is hosted on infrastructure operated by Nublue, part of the CTI Group.

The move reflects a broader debate among businesses over where AI tools are hosted, who controls the underlying systems and how far companies should rely on large third-party providers. CTI Digital says its approach combines private AI infrastructure, self-hosted models and dedicated hosting environments.

That marks a shift from AI adoption focused mainly on access to tools and output to concerns over governance, ownership and long-term cost. The platform is intended to give CTI Digital greater control over how AI is deployed across the business.

Chris Burgess, Group Chief Executive Officer of CTI Digital, linked the decision to a change in how organisations are assessing AI.

He said: "Over the last two years, AI adoption has accelerated at an incredible pace. Tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Copilot have demonstrated enormous value, but they have also created new challenges around ownership, governance, cost and control.

"Many organisations have understandably focused on what AI can do. Increasingly, they are now asking where their data is going, who controls the underlying technology, what happens if costs continue to rise and how dependent they have become on third-party providers.

"We believe the next phase of AI adoption will be about sovereignty as much as capability. Organisations want the benefits of AI while retaining control of their data, intellectual property and long-term strategic direction."

CTI Digital is a Manchester-based digital transformation agency with more than 150 staff. Its clients include Visit Britain, Chester Zoo, Little Greene, the British Council, De Vere Hotels and Mind.

Private infrastructure

By hosting the platform within the CTI Group through Nublue, the company is creating an internal model that it says could inform work with clients considering similar arrangements. It described the investment as part of a wider strategy spanning consulting, implementation, AI work and infrastructure.

For many companies, the issue is no longer simply whether to use artificial intelligence, but how to use it without handing over sensitive information or becoming locked into a narrow set of suppliers. CTI Digital says the model offers an alternative to relying entirely on external platforms.

Burgess said the project was intended to test that approach inside the company before taking it further.

He said: "We haven't just built another chatbot. We have created the foundations for how organisations will operate, automate and innovate over the next decade, and we wanted to prove the model ourselves first.

"We have invested in our own platform, our own infrastructure and our own capabilities because we believe businesses need more choice than simply consuming AI as a service from a handful of global providers."

Broader strategy

The sovereign AI platform sits within a broader push by the group into digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence. CTI Digital plans to combine its agency and consultancy work with Nublue's hosting role to offer private and sovereign AI systems to organisations that want closer oversight of their data and systems.

The announcement also points to Manchester's growing role in the UK's AI sector, where regional technology companies are looking to build local infrastructure rather than rely solely on overseas providers. For mid-sized digital businesses, that can provide a way to differentiate their services at a time when off-the-shelf AI tools are becoming widely available.

Businesses in regulated sectors, or those handling valuable intellectual property, have been among the most active in exploring private AI environments. Concerns over governance, cost visibility and strategic dependence have become more prominent as companies move from experimentation to operational use.

CTI Digital says the new platform is the start of a longer investment programme across AI infrastructure and private environments.

Burgess said: "This is the first step in a much broader journey for CTI Digital and Nublue as we continue to invest in sovereign AI infrastructure, private AI environments and the technologies that will underpin the next generation of digital transformation."