UK promises to significantly expand computing capacity to build AI industry

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The UK will invest in a significant expansion of government-owned AI computing capacity over five years, including building new supercomputers, to build a globally competitive artificial intelligence sector, ministers announced on Monday.

The move is a response to a newly released report on AI opportunities for the UK economy, commissioned by the UK government and drafted by British venture capitalist Matt Clifford.

The supercomputer will join two other advanced machines in the UK, including the University of Bristol's Isambard-AI and the University of Cambridge's Dawn, which contain around 5,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) and specialized chips for building AI software.

Cliffords reports that he advocates reaching the equivalent of 100,000 GPUs in government-owned capacity by 2030.

The new capacity, which represents a 20-fold increase in the UK's sovereign computing capacity, will be separate from privately owned AI data centers and will be deployed by the government primarily for AI applications in academia and the public service.

It is unclear how much the project will cost, but it will come from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology's research and development budget.

The announcement comes as Clifford has been appointed as a part-time adviser to the AI ​​minister to help implement recommendations in his report, according to two people briefed on the plans. Downing Street declined to comment on the proposals.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: Our plans will make Britain a world leader [in AI]. This will give the industry the foundation it needs… which means more jobs and investment in the UK, more money in people's pockets and a transformation of public services. That is the change this Government is delivering.

Starmer became more excited about the value of AI as an engine for economic growth and public sector reform after holding a private dinner with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and DeepMind CEO Sir Demis Hassabis on the eve of the UK's Global Investment Summit in October, according to the people. They say they did it. We have briefed you on the matter.

The Clifford report, known as the AI ​​Opportunities Action Plan, was submitted to the government in September, but its release has been delayed due to delays. A number of cabinet ministers met in December to discuss the content, according to a source briefed on the discussions.

It sets out 50 recommendations to create a thriving national AI industry by improving conditions for building, scaling, and adopting new technologies.

Recommendations accepted by the government include: AI growth zones, areas of the UK with faster access to planning permissions to build AI infrastructure; The AI ​​Energy Council advises on requirements for AI energy resources, including nuclear power.

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Technology experts, including Clifford, have argued that sovereign computing capacity is essential to ensure British AI companies and researchers are less dependent on AI businesses from other countries.

They argue that that capability can establish new, globally relevant AI technologies and companies, and that with computing infrastructure becoming a geopolitical battleground, access to reliable computer power at a reasonable cost is critical.

Peter Kyle, the science and technology secretary, came under fire in August for withdrawing funding from the University of Edinburgh's 800 million exascale supercomputer programme, a machine capable of performing complex scientific calculations such as physics simulations. .

Kyle insisted nothing was cut because the $800 million promised by the previous government was not budgeted for.

In the absence of a significant new sovereign computing program, Britain's most powerful computer has been overtaken by rivals. This means that the UK no longer has a computer in the global top 50.

Additional reporting by George Hammond in San Francisco

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