Good morning. For the last few years artificial intelligence has been heralded as the technology that will transform economies. Governments have promised billions in investment, datacentres and supercomputers, and a wave of new jobs as AI is \u201cmainlined\u201d into the economy. But what happens when the numbers behind those promises are examined more closely?<\/p>\n
That question sits at the centre of a series of recent investigations by the Guardian<\/a>. The findings were remarkable \u2013 not least that the location for a much-trumpeted new supercomputer intended be up and running by year\u2019s end to help fire up the British economy remains a scaffolding yard.<\/p>\n For today\u2019s newsletter I spoke to Aisha Down, a Guardian reporter covering artificial intelligence, about the puzzling aspects of recent deals and announcements in the UK, and what happens when governments eager for growth appear to embrace AI promises faster than they can be verified. But first, the headlines.<\/p>\n Five big stories<\/p>\n Middle East crisis | Tehran residents say the Iranian capital has endured what they described as its worst night of aerial bombardment, as the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, followed Donald Trump\u2019s suggestion on Monday the war could soon be over with a warning of more strikes<\/a> to come.<\/p>\n Environment | Climate breakdown is shrinking the amount of time that people can safely go about their lives, according to a study<\/a> that shows a third of the world\u2019s population now resides in areas where heat severely limits activity.<\/p>\n Labour | Plans to curtail the number of jury trials in England and Wales have been described as \u201cunpopular, untested and poorly evidenced\u201d by thousands of lawyers who have written<\/a> to the prime minister.<\/p>\n UK economy | UK inflation could end the year higher than previously expected at 3% because of the US-Israel war in Iran, the government\u2019s economics watchdog has warned<\/a>.<\/p>\n Travel | Tube drivers in London are to strike across 12 days in the spring in a row over a four-day working week, the RMT has announced<\/a>.<\/p>\n In depth: \u2018A $100bn deal between two of the biggest companies in the world just sort of disappeared\u2019The site in Loughton, Essex, on 25 February. Photograph: Martin Godwin\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cWhat seems to have happened is that the reality has been spun \u2013 by a government desperate for growth, and by tech companies with a very strong incentive to maximise AI hype,\u201d Aisha tells me.<\/p>\n She says the reporting began with a simple idea: to check the details behind a wave of enormous AI investment announcements.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething [my colleague] Dan Milmo and I on the tech desk had been trying to do towards the end of last year was basically an audit,\u201d she tells me. \u201c2025 was the year of enormous AI deals in the UK, but also all over the world. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang was going around announcing huge AI investments in places like Saudi Arabia and South Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n But things weren\u2019t as straightforward as one might imagine from all the shiny press releases<\/a>. \u201cWe started trying to map out all the deals,\u201d she says \u2013 and they began to notice what Aisha describes as an \u201ceerie\u201d pattern.<\/p>\n The $100bn deal that vanished<\/p>\n One moment in particular made Aisha pause.<\/p>\n Earlier this year there had been enormous excitement about a proposed $100bn investment from Nvidia into OpenAI \u2013 a deal that would have seen Nvidia provide funding that OpenAI would largely use to buy Nvidia\u2019s own chips.<\/p>\n Then, almost overnight, it appeared to evaporate<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cA $100bn deal between two of the biggest companies in the world just sort of disappeared,\u201d Aisha says. \u201cAnd markets didn\u2019t really move.\u201d<\/p>\n That raised questions. Financial markets have been known to wobble over far smaller developments \u2013 for example, a recent viral Substack post<\/a> describing a dystopian future scenario with AI as \u201ca feedback loop with no brake\u201d appeared to have caused stock value losses for Uber, American Express, Mastercard and DoorDash, because it specifically mentioned them. Yet when one of the biggest deals underpinning the AI boom appeared to melt away, the reaction was muted.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember wandering around the newsroom probably annoying the editors,\u201d she laughs. \u201cI kept looking at these deals and saying: \u2018What money?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n That moment pushed her and colleagues to start examining the claims behind some of the biggest announcements more closely.<\/p>\n The supercomputer that wasn\u2019t <\/p>\n As the reporting narrowed, two companies kept appearing in the UK government\u2019s AI plans: the datacentre firms CoreWeave and Nscale, both backed by Nvidia and both associated with major promised investments in Britain\u2019s AI infrastructure. One project in particular caught Aisha\u2019s attention: a planned \u201csovereign AI\u201d supercomputer site in Loughton, on the outskirts of north London.<\/p>\n When she began making calls about the project, some of the answers raised eyebrows. Did the site have power connections? Had construction actually begun? So she went to see it.<\/p>\n \u201cI honestly did not expect what we found,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Instead of a vast construction site preparing to host one of the country\u2019s most powerful computing centres, the location (pictured above) appeared to still be operating as a scaffolding yard.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were trucks going in and out stacked with metal poles,\u201d she says. \u201cWe were standing there thinking: this is the right site? This is where the supercomputer is supposed to be?\u201d<\/p>\n The contrast between the futuristic artist\u2019s impressions (pictured top) that had accompanied the announcement and the reality on the ground was striking.<\/p>\n The government and Nscale say this supercomputer is supposed to be up by the end of this year. And while Nscale stated more than a year ago that it had already bought the site, land records seem to show that it is not registered as the owner.<\/p>\n An Nscale spokesperson said: \u201cAs a UK-headquarted company, we remain committed to the UK investment we announced \u2013 with the Loughton project in support of Microsoft progressing as we envisaged.\u201d<\/p>\n Paper promises<\/p>\n One concern raised by Aisha\u2019s reporting is that some of the grander claims about AI investment may not translate into the economic transformation governments hope for. Predictions about the technology\u2019s impact vary widely. A recent report by the National Foundation for Educational Research suggested that up to 3m lower-skilled jobs in the UK could disappear<\/a> by 2035 because of automation and AI, even as new roles emerge elsewhere.<\/p>\n Nscale and CoreWeave say much of their investment will come in the form of Nvidia chips installed in UK datacentres and rented to customers. In practice, that could mean Nscale\u2019s $2.5bn \u201cinvestment\u201d largely involves buying chips made in Taiwan by a US company and leasing them to companies from a UK facility \u2013 rather than new money flowing into the economy.<\/p>\n And the infrastructure projects meant to power that AI boom may themselves create far fewer jobs than advertised.<\/p>\n \u201cDatacentres do not, in reality, create hundreds of long-term jobs,\u201d Aisha says. \u201cThey create some security jobs, some maintenance jobs \u2013 tens at most, usually, not hundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n The companies involved say their announcements accurately reflect their plans and deny that the investments are misleading. They argue that deploying computing equipment in existing facilities and phasing construction are common practices in the fast-moving AI industry. The UK government has also rejected suggestions that its AI strategy rests on exaggerated claims, saying datacentres are essential infrastructure for the country\u2019s economic future.<\/p>\n Nevertheless some of apparent gaps are startling. In January the government said CoreWeave and DataVita would build a Lanarkshire \u201cAI growth zone\u201d powered by up to 1GW of private renewable energy \u2013 about the output of a nuclear reactor.<\/p>\n It is not clear whether plans exist for energy infrastructure on that scale. CoreWeave said it was confident there is sufficient power to support the investment, but DataVita, who is responsible for power delivery, did not respond to comment.<\/p>\n \u2018How it started\u2019 v \u2018how it\u2019s going\u2019<\/p>\n When I ask Aisha to boil the story down to its essentials, she explains it using the language of social media memes.<\/p>\n \u201cHow it started: billions of pounds of investment, new jobs, datacentres springing up all over the UK, AI being mainlined into the veins of the economy, everything transformed, productivity unlocked, Labour\u2019s growth problem solved.<\/p>\n \u201cHow it\u2019s actually going: the money is only money in the loosest possible sense. In many cases it really seems to mean relocating hardware from one place to another, plus some associated electricity and operational costs.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is not investment in the way most people would understand the word.\u201d<\/p>\n And as Aisha points out, the UK is far from alone. Governments around the world are competing to attract AI infrastructure and investment \u2013 sometimes with similarly ambitious promises attached.<\/p>\n In the end, what was sold as billions pouring into Britain\u2019s AI economy has started to look more like imported chips in borrowed buildings \u2013 and a government merrily parroting the press releases of big AI companies, riding on the back of those good vibes, without asking too many difficult questions along the way.<\/p>\n What else we\u2019ve been readingJowe Head (right) and Swell Maps. Photograph: Sarah Lee\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Michael Hann interviews<\/a> Jowe Head about the \u201cserious fun\u201d of being in the very obscure but hugely influential diy-band Swell Maps. Martin<\/p>\n Marina Hyde on the tone deaf escapades of Kai Trump, the US president\u2019s granddaughter who went viral this week for her video touring a luxury supermarket, is, well, classic Marina Hyde<\/a>. Charlie Lindlar, newsletters team<\/p>\n Have a nostalgic wander through some of the hits and misses of Apple\u2019s product line over the years with this Chris Stokel-Walker list<\/a>. Oh, iPod, I miss you. Martin<\/p>\n For Moving the Goalposts, our women\u2019s football newsletter (sign up here!<\/a>), Osasu Obayiuwana covers the outrage<\/a> over the postponement of the Women\u2019s African Cup of Nations. As one player posted: \u201cIt\u2019s actually embarrassing at this point.\u201d Charlie<\/p>\n The pope has come out against priests using artificial intelligence to write their sermons, but in this opinion piece Margaret Sullivan suggests<\/a> that journalists may have to learn to live with it. Martin<\/p>\n SportTottenham Hotspur\u2019s Antonin Kinsky with Cristian Romero after being substituted Photograph: Matthew Childs\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/p>\n Football | Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was substituted early in the first half of Tottenham\u2019s humiliating 5-2 defeat<\/a> at the hands of Atl\u00e9tico Madrid. Meanwhile, Barcelona\u2019s Lamine Yamal equalised from the penalty spot after Harvey Barnes had given Newcastle the lead to make it 1-1<\/a> in a hard-fought first leg. Mario Lemina\u2019s early goal for Galatasaray edged them to a 1-0 victory at home to Liverpool<\/a> in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.<\/p>\n Rugby union | Steve Borthwick has recalled<\/a> Ollie Chessum to his beleaguered side for their final Six Nations match against France but otherwise stuck by the same underfire players who suffered defeat against Italy.<\/p>\n Football | Joey Barton is due to appear in court charged with attacking a man near a golf club in Liverpool. The former footballer was arrested<\/a> after the incident outside Huyton and Prescot golf club at 9pm on Sunday.<\/p>\n The front pagesGuardian front page 11 March 2026 Photograph: Guardian<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018The last stop before hell\u2019: Tehran residents say attacks intensifying,\u201d is the splash on the Guardian today. \u201cUS bombers take off from Britain for attack on Iran,\u201d says the Times. \u201cAmerican bombers take off from UK RAF base as Trump vows biggest Iran blitz,\u201d has the i.<\/p>\n \u201cBan pro-Iran hate march,\u201d is the lead story at the Daily Mail. \u201cFace of UK meets hate with dates,\u201d says the Metro. \u201cTime to stop \u2018cruel\u2019 state pension tax grab,\u201d is the splash at the Express. \u201cPM\u2019s leaked \u2018assault on devolution\u2019\u201d, writes the National. \u201cJoey Barton held over attack at golf club,\u201d has the Star. \u201cBarton \u2018victim blinded\u2019\u201d, says the Sun.<\/p>\n Today in FocusRutger Bregman poses for a portrait at his offices located at 107 Grand Street in Soho on Monday afternoon. Photograph: Natalie Keyssar<\/p>\n Should we be boycotting ChatGPT?<\/p>\n Historian Rutger Bregman argues that consumers should boycott OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT<\/a> after the company\u2019s deal with the Pentagon. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t know that their friendly chatbot, ChatGPT, has embedded itself into the authoritarian infrastructure of the Trump administration,\u201d Bregman tells Helen Pidd.<\/p>\n Cartoon of the day | Ella BaronElla Baron Opinion cartoon on Trump Iran Illustration: Ella Baron\/The GuardianThe Upside<\/p>\n A bit of good news to remind you that the world\u2019s not all bad<\/p>\n Drummer Claudio Mart\u00ednez performs at Sala de Naciones La Calenda in Montevideo. Photograph: Mariana Greif\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Candombe, Uruguay\u2019s Afro-descendent music, was once reviled, marginalised and even banned. But now it is experiencing a peak in popularity<\/a>.<\/p>\n The music, which is primarily defined by the use of three drums \u2013 piano, chico and repique \u2013 emerged from the more than 200,000 enslaved Africans sent to Uruguay during 250 years of slavery, most of them from central Africa. Gradually it gained broader acceptance within Uruguayan society, with candombe groups eventually spreading to every region of the country, and in 2009 it was recognised by Unesco as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.<\/p>\n Now its rhythmic sounds draw thousands to public squares and carnival parades. The rhythm \u201cis a trance, a spiritual tool\u201d, says Jorge Drexlerl, one of Uruguay\u2019s biggest singers. \u201cIn a world in which polarisation is only getting worse, candombe has the ability to build bridges between people\u201d.<\/p>\n