High energy costs, drawn-out planning processes and an often combative antitrust regulator have not made the UK the world’s most popular destination for tech companies looking to build out the vast new data centres needed to power artificial intelligence.
Nonetheless, this week Big Tech groups including Microsoft, Google and Nvidia lined up to make multibillion-dollar pledges to build new AI infrastructure across the UK, timed to coincide with US President Donald Trump’s state visit.
US tech executives such as Nvidia chief Jensen Huang credited the spending splurge on British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer having “internalised the importance of building infrastructure here in the UK”.
“It was his urgent request that we dedicate resources to the UK to help build AI infrastructure,” Huang said.