UK Pledges £2bn AI Investment, Plans 7.6 Million Worker Training

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has outlined an ambitious plan to position the UK as a global leader in artificial intelligence by significantly scaling compute power and investing in AI training programs, including a £1 billion AI investment and a £187 million TechFirst scheme to equip students with AI skills. The UK government has designated data centres as critical national infrastructure to accelerate development, recognizing the surge in energy demands driven by AI technologies, projected to triple data centre energy use by 2030. Despite these efforts, there is a growing regional disparity in AI job creation and training, with London dominating 80% of AI job postings and investing more heavily in generative AI training compared to other regions, raising concerns about a digital divide that could affect the UK's long-term competitiveness. Industry leaders like NVIDIA's CEO highlight the necessity of building AI supercomputers in the UK to attract startups and foster an AI ecosystem, a capability currently lacking but targeted for 20-fold growth by 2030. Starmer emphasized the importance of embracing AI for economic growth and technological innovation, pledging that technology will deliver a better future across all regions of Britain. However, addressing infrastructure challenges and ensuring equitable distribution of opportunities remain critical for fulfilling the UK’s AI ambitions.