The UK is pledging £1 billion as part of a major push to expand the UK’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
Kicking off London Tech Week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the funding, positioning it as a step toward transforming the UK from a consumer of AI to a global developer.
The new funding aims to increase the UK's high-performance computing capacity twentyfold, significantly boosting its AI processing power.
Starmer emphasised that the key challenge isn’t regulation, but rather a shortage of AI-related skills across the economy.
To address this, the government has partnered with 11 leading firms to provide AI training for 7.5 million workers by 2030.
The initiative includes a new collaboration with chipmaker Nvidia to build a national AI talent pipeline.
Additionally, a “Tech First” programme will invest £185 million in digital skills education, aiming to train one million young people in areas like computer science, starting at the secondary school level.
As part of broader efforts to secure the UK’s position in AI, a new Sovereign AI Industry Forum was announced.
Backed by Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA, ETR:NVD) and including companies such as BT Group PLC (LSE:BT.A), Babcock International PLC (LSE:BAB), BAE Systems PLC (LSE:BA.) and National Grid PLC (LSE:NG.), the forum aims to support domestic AI infrastructure and help local startups scale.
Nscale, a UK cloud provider, revealed plans to deploy 10,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs by 2026, enhancing the country’s computing capabilities. The company said the new facility will drive innovation and job creation, boosting the local AI ecosystem.