CTI Digital opens access to sovereign AI platform Croft

CTI Digital has opened public access to Croft, its sovereign AI platform for UK organisations. The system runs on UK-controlled infrastructure.

The Manchester-based digital transformation agency has made the platform available to external users after developing it for its own internal large language model use. It is aimed at private companies and charities that want to use AI while keeping data, documents, prompts and outputs under their own control.

Croft runs on infrastructure operated by Nublue, part of the CTI Group. Organisations can use the platform within CTI Digital's managed infrastructure or deploy it in their own environment.

The launch reflects demand from organisations trying to balance AI adoption with concerns over data security, regulatory compliance and software spending. CTI Digital is positioning the product as an alternative to relying on overseas technology platforms for AI services.

The platform combines private large language models with an organisation's own knowledge and systems. This allows staff to search internal information, automate routine work and build AI-based processes within one managed environment.

Deployment options

The product supports private hosted environments, hybrid deployments and dedicated GPU infrastructure. It can also connect with existing business systems, including CRM platforms, content management systems, customer service software, eCommerce tools and other internal applications.

The wider effort also involves Nublue as CTI Group expands its UK-based AI infrastructure. This includes investment in additional hosting capacity, dedicated GPU resources and services tailored to specific industries.

Chris Burgess outlined the thinking behind the launch.

"Over the last twelve months, AI has gone from experiment to everyday tool - but for many, it has also become another monthly software bill. Every new tool creates another subscription, another governance headache and another dependency on a platform you don't control and can't see inside. We believe there is a better way. We built Croft to give us enterprise-grade AI without giving up control of data or costs, a challenge we know is faced by businesses across the UK," said Chris Burgess, Group CEO, CTI Digital.

Internal use

Before the external rollout, CTI Digital used the platform across its own teams for a range of productivity tasks. The company cited an HR agent based on retrieval-augmented generation that answers routine policy questions, an A/B testing tool for tracking and reporting conversion rate optimisation tests, and a tender analysis tool that reviews procurement briefs and extracts requirements and scoring priorities.

These examples show how CTI Digital is seeking to tie AI use to operational tasks rather than stand-alone chat tools. The approach also points to a market in which businesses are looking for systems that fit existing workflows and governance requirements.

For UK organisations, data location and control have become more prominent issues as AI adoption broadens beyond pilot projects. Suppliers are increasingly being asked where information is stored, who manages the infrastructure and whether customer data is exposed to third-party model providers.

CTI Digital's launch comes as agencies, hosting companies and software providers try to build local alternatives around those concerns. In that market, sovereign AI has emerged as shorthand for services that keep workloads and data within a defined jurisdiction and under direct organisational oversight.

Burgess said the platform is intended to meet that practical demand.

"Most organisations don't need another AI demo. They need practical ways to improve productivity, automate processes and protect data - on their own terms. That's what Croft is for," said Burgess.