Industrial Strategy<\/a> and the more than \u00a378 billion invested in the UK\u2019s AI sector since the government took office<\/p>\n American AI inference platform Groq will be opening its first UK data centre in London this year, backed by around \u00a3100 million
\n Graphcore and SoftBank renew their backing for the UK with a new AI development lab in Bristol – doubling their headcount to 750 jobs<\/p>\n
AI Pathfinder is fast-tracking UK sovereign AI with \u00a3150 million GPU deployment in Northamptonshire – the first step in an \u00a318 billion programme into UK sovereign AI infrastructure over the next 5 years
\n Cerebras is committed to deepening its investment in the UK by expanding AI partnerships and strengthening collaboration with EPCC at the University of Edinburgh. The company aims to increase its presence across the region, grow its local workforce, and accelerate innovation throughout the UK
\n San Francisco company Perplexity AI are investing \u00a380 million to expand their offices in London, creating 100 jobs
\n Cursor is opening its London office as its European headquarters, marking the company\u2019s first international expansion
\n These fresh investments build on Equinix\u2019s recent \u00a34\u202fbillion commitment to constructing and operating a high-performance data centre campus in Hertfordshire, supporting thousands of jobs and strengthening the UK\u2019s digital infrastructure and AI industry, as well as Zoom confirming plans to open a new UK data centre in 2026 backed by \u00a324 million investment over the next 3 years, scaling as demand increases -creating 25 new high-skilled roles.<\/p>\n
Industry reaction and support for today\u2019s announcements\u00a0<\/p>\n
David Howson, President of Vantage Data Centers, EMEA. said:<\/p>\n
This is a welcome signal of the government\u2019s commitment to South Wales and strengthens what is already one of the most exciting AI development opportunities in the UK. As a company at the forefront of global AI infrastructure, we see world-class potential here in South Wales.<\/p>\n
The breadth of talent, connectivity and local support have all shaped Vantage\u2019s investment here. We look forward to building on those strengths in partnership with the UK and Welsh governments.<\/p>\n
UK Sovereign AI Unit Chair James Wise said: \u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m excited to start as Chair of the UK\u2019s Sovereign AI Unit, which will launch next year. This will be a new type of government fund – one which aims to be the first choice for founders building essential parts of the UK\u2019s AI infrastructure and economy.<\/p>\n
One which uses the awesome power of the British state to help scale our AI breakthroughs. And one which aims to make a meaningful return for the British taxpayer. I look forward to working with the team to build and launch this fund in the coming months in this critical area of technology.<\/p>\n
Monzo Co-founder\u202fand newly-appointed AI Ambassador Tom Blomfield said:\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Britain should be the best place in the world for brilliant technical people \u2013 especially those early in their careers \u2013 to start AI companies.\u202f<\/p>\n
As an AI Ambassador I want to help government understand what founders need to succeed, so more people feel confident taking risk and building world-changing companies in the UK.<\/p>\n
Raia Hadsell, Vice President, Research at Google DeepMind said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m excited to collaborate with the UK government, alongside other experts, to unlock the transformational benefits of AI for society. Being at the frontier of AI presents tremendous opportunities to improve people\u2019s lives through AI enabled education, health outcomes and scientific discoveries.<\/p>\n
Martin Bellamy, CEO of AI Pathfinder, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
AI Pathfinder is driving economic growth and social value through sovereign AI. With an initial investment of over\u202f\u00a3150 million, we are equipping the UK\u2019s public sector, industry, and national security communities with the secure infrastructure they demand. This is a vote of confidence in the UK\u2019s vision: delivering world-class capability while keeping sensitive data firmly on British soil.<\/p>\n
Hugh Milward, Vice President, External Affairs, Microsoft UK said:<\/p>\n
This is fantastic news for Wales and for all organisations connected to its growing digital ecosystem. We\u2019re proud to be investing in South Wales and playing our part to deliver this new AI Growth Zone, helping to build the AI economy of the future and deliver benefits for communities across the region.<\/p>\n
Nobel prize winning British MIT economist and former Chief Economist of the IMF Simon Johnson said:<\/p>\n
The UK has a real opportunity to translate AI into productivity gains that significantly raise living standards. My focus will be on accelerating adoption while ensuring the benefits are broadly shared, including for people at all levels of education and skill.<\/p>\n
Professor Chris Bishop FRS FREng FRSE Technical Fellow, and Director of Microsoft Research AI for Science said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
In my view, scientific discovery represents the single most important application area for AI.\u00a0The consequences of accelerating scientific discovery are far-reaching, from the development of life-saving drugs to the efficient design of sustainable materials. I am therefore delighted to contribute, alongside other leading experts, to the development of this national strategy on AI for science. The release of this strategy document is a significant first step in ensuring that the UK remains at the forefront of AI development, in an area that is key to the future success of our society.<\/p>\n
Garry Pairaudeau, CEO and Co-Founder, DaltonTx said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
I am incredibly excited by the launch of the UK AI for science strategy, it recognises the unique, deep expertise within the UK and creates an ambitious vision to drive this critical area forward<\/p>\n
Further support for the AI for Science Strategy<\/p>\n
Charlotte Deane,\u00a0Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Professor of Structural Bioinformatics at the University of Oxford said:<\/p>\n
AI is rapidly expanding what is scientifically possible. We are committed to harnessing its potential to improve people\u2019s lives and drive economic growth, from better healthcare, cleaner energy, to more resilient infrastructure. Strong partnership between UKRI and DSIT is vital to ensure these technologies deliver meaningful benefits for communities nationwide and today\u2019s announcements mark an important moment in that shared effort to accelerate progress.<\/p>\n
Ant Rowstron, Chief Technology Officer – ARIA said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
AI is transforming science, automating key parts of the research process and creating entirely new capabilities. We welcome the ambition of the UK\u2019s AI for Science Strategy, which will ensure that UK scientists have the tools, technology and infrastructure they need to lead the world in realising the full potential of these new technologies.<\/p>\n
Pushmeet Kohli, VP, Science and Strategic Initiatives, Google DeepMind said:<\/p>\n
AI-enabled science will have significant benefits for society so it\u2019s crucial to ensure UK scientists and researchers have access and understanding of the leading AI models and agents. It\u2019s exciting to see the UK government prioritising investment in critical ingredients like data to facilitate future scientific breakthroughs and unlock opportunities in areas like drug discovery, fusion energy and new materials.<\/p>\n
Professor Gopal Ramchurn, University of Southampton and CEO Responsible AI UK said:<\/p>\n
As AI becomes more deeply embedded in scientific research, it is essential that researchers are equipped with the skills and tools needed to deliver high-quality, high-integrity science. The UK\u2019s AI for Science Strategy recognises this imperative, and at Responsible AI UK we look forward to working with government, industry and academia to ensure the next wave of AI-enabled scientific progress is safe, trustworthy and delivers meaningful benefits for society<\/p>\n
Professor Anthony Hollander, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact, University of Liverpool:<\/p>\n
The AI for Science Strategy\u00a0charts an ambitious path to secure the UK\u2019s global leadership in AI-driven science, building on our strengths while opening entirely new horizons for discovery.<\/p>\n
Professor John Aston, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, University of Cambridge:<\/p>\n
We welcome the focus on AI for Science that comes with this strategy. AI is now an integral part of most scientific labs, and it is vital that we all support further integration, including allowing opportunities for researchers to learn-and-experiment with these powerful new technologies.<\/p>\n
Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a research-intensive university at the heart of the UK\u2019s AI revolution we support the announcement of the AI for Science Strategy and\u00a0are\u00a0pleased to be a key part of this. Earlier this year we launched Isambard-AI, the world\u2019s fastest supercomputer based at a university which will spearhead AI innovation and scientific discovery in important areas such as drug discovery and climate research.<\/p>\n
The National AI Data Facility \u2013 which will be physically located next to the supercomputer \u2013 will be a critical part of its infrastructure, further establishing Bristol and the UK as an international hub for AI research. This\u00a0 investment will be central to creating a \u2018British Library\u2019 for the AI age.<\/p>\n
Ronit Kanwar, Managing Director, Renaissance Philanthropy said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019re energised by a strategy that focuses on creating the next AlphaFold moment for UK science. Its emphasis on building high-quality, open scientific datasets and developing \u2018bilingual\u2019 talent\u2014researchers fluent in both AI and domain expertise\u2014is what\u2019s needed to turn algorithmic progress into real-world breakthroughs.<\/p>\n
At Renaissance Philanthropy, we know what happens when a field has the right public goods: the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and CASP transformed the pace of discovery globally. This strategy applies that same logic across domains, with shared datasets, benchmarks and compute that let whole communities move faster.\u00a0 That\u2019s\u00a0why we are\u00a0excited\u00a0to partner with DSIT to identify novel datasets to unlock the\u00a0transformative\u00a0potential of AI. With its strengths in life sciences, unique datasets, \u00a0talent, and\u00a0the institutions capable of stewarding national-scale infrastructure, the UK is well placed to lead. If delivered with urgency, the mission outlined in the strategy can accelerate drug discovery and unlock scientific advances that improve lives across the UK and beyond.<\/p>\n
Prof. Andrew Cooper FRS, University of Liverpool, Academic Director, Materials Innovation Factory, Co-Director, EPSRC AI for Chemistry Hub (AIchemy) said:\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is great strategy – AI for science is moving at a breakneck pace worldwide and the rapid rise of automated, self-driving labs is particularly remarkable. It is vital for the UK to maintain its leading position in this space. We can only do this by supporting in tandem both the foundational research and its translation into UK industry. The actions and pillars in the strategy set out a way to do this.<\/p>\n
Prof. Matthew Sperrin, University of Manchester, Causality in Healthcare AI (CHAI) hub said:<\/p>\n
We welcome today\u2019s announcement of the AI for science strategy which represents an ambitious plan for the UK. Causal reasoning will play a key role in underpinning these ambitions. We are pleased to see CHAI mentioned as an example of how compute scale can unlock unprecedented knowledge. A clear talent pipeline of diverse individuals will be crucial in delivering this. CHAI is focused on training the next generation of researchers and to that end we are developing tools to deliver education about causal AI using generative techniques.<\/p>\n
Dr Mark Effingham, Deputy Chief Executive at UK Biobank, said:<\/p>\n
Science is being transformed by AI and this strategy shows what we need to do. UK Biobank is the most used and most comprehensive dataset for research in the world, and every 6 months we add masses of new data, multiplying the value of the data we\u00a0already have. This has led to a huge amount of research, but the recent addition of AI is having a startling effect across diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson\u2019s and dementia.<\/p>\n
Researchers are building new AI tools using our data, they are running analyses that were previously impossible or would have taken a lifetime\u2019s work.\u00a0Adding plans to use the country\u2019s unique, large-scale supercomputers to allow specialist research will only make UK Biobank data even more useful. This truly is a chance to make a real difference, not just for the UK, but for the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds of investment in AI announced across the UK as driver…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":185496,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[554,733,4308,86,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-278480","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-artificial-intelligence","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-artificial-intelligence","10":"tag-artificialintelligence","11":"tag-technology","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278480\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/185496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}