CTI Digital builds sovereign AI platform to strengthen control over AI, data and infrastructure

Manchester-based digital transformation agency CTI Digital has built its own sovereign AI platform. It marks a significant investment in private artificial intelligence infrastructure and reinforcing the company's commitment to secure, controlled and scalable AI adoption.

Developed and deployed internally, the platform provides CTI Digital employees with access to advanced AI capabilities within a private environment. It has been designed to give the business complete control over its data, intellectual property and future AI roadmap.

Hosted on infrastructure operated by Nublue, part of the CTI Group, the platform represents the next stage in CTI Digital's wider strategy to support organisations navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

The launch builds on CTI Digital's continued investment in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies, while demonstrating how organisations can adopt AI without compromising governance, security or ownership.

Chris Burgess, Group CEO of CTI Digital, 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.”

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

Unlike traditional AI deployments that rely entirely on third-party platforms, CTI Digital's approach combines private AI infrastructure, self-hosted models and dedicated hosting environments, providing
greater flexibility and control over how AI is deployed and governed.

The investment forms part of a wider strategy that brings together CTI Digital's consulting, implementation and AI expertise with the infrastructure capabilities of Nublue, creating an end-to-end proposition for organisations exploring private and sovereign AI solutions.

On this, Chris 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.”

He concluded: “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."

The launch of CTI Digital’s sovereign AI platform reflects both Manchester's growing position as one of the UK's leading centres for artificial intelligence innovation as well as the company’s own ongoing
commitment to helping organisations harness emerging technologies while maintaining control over the systems, data and infrastructure that support them.

About CTI Digital

CTI Digital is a full-service digital agency headquartered in Manchester. Its team of 150+ specialists combines experience in web build, digital marketing and strategic consultancy with a growing AI and innovation offering. Founded in 2003, the agency’s diverse range of clients includes Visit Britain, Chester Zoo, Little Greene, British Council, De Vere Hotels, and Mind.