Knowledge-intensive sectors
KI stands for knowledge-intensive: in Cambridge cluster reports it tags the sectors where graduate skills and research spending drive output, such as information technology and telecoms, life sciences and high-tech manufacturing. Cluster reports track KI employment and turnover separately from the rest of the local economy.
In practice
In September 2026 the Cambridge Ahead dashboard showed 5.7 per cent employment growth in knowledge-intensive sectors, 11.1 per cent employment growth in the life-science cluster, and £7 billion of annual turnover in the IT and telecoms cluster. The dashboard figures are updated over time, so quote them with the date you read them.
Why it matters to newcomers
The term turns up in local economic reports, planning documents and news about the cluster, so it helps to know what it covers. For someone working in software, life sciences or high-tech manufacturing, KI figures describe their own part of the local job market. Our cluster guide turns the same picture into companies and places.
Related
- Silicon Fen - the cluster KI sectors compose
- Spin-out - where new KI firms come from
- Silicon Fen: Cambridge tech cluster guide
Source: Cambridge Cluster Insights.