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Comment by strongai | Hacker News Reader

I have always wondered why there isn't more tech sector investment in (South) Wales. Low cost of living, good transport links, a fantastic outdoors scene (e.g. world class mountain biking) and strong links with academia. I would choose it in heartbeat over London.

Edit: One of the reasons may be that the politicians' focus is on sponsoring large-scale industrial opportunities to create prospects for thousands of low-skilled unemployed people.

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The tech scene loves to cluster, that's why Silicon Valley is so expensive. And there are already tech clusters in London, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liverpool ..

(I'd also question the "good transport links"! The M4? The overpriced railway?)

We manage in Bristol and Bath - and don't forget the canal.

Well the canal is about to be dug up and resurfaced ;)

Truly a transport system for the modern age! :)

(Joking aside, Bristol does seem to be doing OK for tech jobs)

You kid, but I sometimes stand there, stare at the thing, and think about just-in-time predictive freight for eCommerce - it doesn't have to be fast if it's always on the move.

I think there’s probably not enough effort put into retaining graduates in Wales but then again that’s probably due to the lack of tech sector jobs compared to London so it’s a catch 22. Maybe the Welsh Gov needs to be more aggressive in attracting tech companies, startups and investors. But as @ch215 pointed out, traditional sectors that can absorb the readily available semi-skilled work force will most likely be a greater area of focus.

Also the Universities in Wales probably need to attract more lecturers who are pioneers in the field who would normally choose to go other universities such as Bristol, Imperial, etc... (we had Professor R.A. Falconer at Cardiff Uni for instance).

There is a tech scene in Cardiff. Small but growing.

Here's one such company who is specialising in helping clients automate all the things - Focus on devops: https://www.devopsguys.com/

There are actually some great opportunities for tech startups in south Wales. Lots of grant money available if you know where to look and can persevere through the paperwork.

http://indycube.cymru/ is help facilitate the tech scene in south wales. Great for co-working.

I have worked and lived in Cardiff, Bristol and London in tech startups and hands down Cardiff is the best for so many reasons. Cheap & lovely people. Welsh tech companies can get loads of grants and trade missions, especially if anywhere outside the Vale of Glamorgan.

Me too, though I actually prefer Bristol- I will accept there's a chance that the people in Cardiff may be a little more friendly, but the music scene and street art here is just unbeatable for the size and due to it's position, it's easy to travel elsewhere in the UK. The tech scene is growing at a crazy rate too - I've noticed the number of people at the JS meetups has easily doubled compared to a year ago. One thing we can definitely agree on is that the SouthWest kicks London's ass for general quality of life!

That's right. The Welsh Government gives millions to big business. A few years back, for example, they handed Ford £10 million to keep one of its factories open. Taxpayers' money is also spent on subsidising low pay in the private sector through Jobs Growth Wales. It's unsustainable and the money could be better invested.

Isn't that state aid?

As a North Wales-ian who thinks the (robust) tech scene up here is not given its due, this comment thread is annoying (in a ha ha only serious way).

Maybe it's because we like to make Serious Things like airplanes and space telescopes instead of websites.

I grew up in North Wales and have been working in London in the tech sector for the last 10 years. Considering a move back to the mountains, genuinely interested in what the tech scene is like there now? Can you name some companies?

Cool! I'm no expert, but optics, aerospace, and defense mainly that I'm aware of. Airbus has a huge wing manufacturing plant in Broughton which I'm sure helps anchor the industry, they have massive tie-ins with the local universities through apprenticeships. Prototype mirror segments for the E-ELT project are also being built here[1] (last I checked; there's been some budget problems). I don't know everything that goes on of course, but my own job searches have turned up both interesting-looking embedded work and more run-of-the-mill web stuff, despite my earlier comment. I've seen lots of datacentre/hosting type companies kicking about as well.

It's no Silicon Valley - Wrexham, the population centre, isn't quite (though very nearly) big enough to hold the interest of the intellectually curious - but it's a lot more vibrant than you hear about. Here is the business directory of the business park in St Asaph where they're building the mirror segments:[2]

[1] http://www.glyndwrinnovations.co.uk/articles/latest_news/the... [2] http://www.stasaphbusinesspark.org.uk/directory/

other than this link: http://www.itv.com/news/wales/technology/ could you point us to news or tech portals that talk more about "serious" and "non-serious" :-) tech happenings in Wales, genuinely interested!

Edit: seems there's this article [0] as well but its a bit dated.

[0] http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/north-wale...

I can't understand it either, but the situation is changing. I work in Cardiff and there's a growing number of enlightened companies that have recognised what you're saying. It's an exciting time. The Welsh Assembly try to attract tech jobs and have helped a few places but I'm not sure they've got much of an overall strategy.

And surprisingly (at least it was for me, I'm French and stereotype for Welsh people is that they "should be" introverted/rugged), Wales is an extremely welcoming place. I've found the Welsh to be warm, proud of their land and willing to give it a good name to the outside world.

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