Microsoft plans to invest 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) in Britain over the next three years, marking its single largest investment in the country to date, and this move is poised to underpin future growth in AI, as affirmed by the UK government.
In the face of a sluggish forecast for the British economy in the coming years, there is a heightened push for private investment, particularly to support new infrastructure in growth industries such as AI.
According to various media reports, the substantial funding was initially disclosed at a summit led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday, and will see Microsoft more than doubling its data centre footprint in Britain. This expansion is deemed crucial to provide the necessary infrastructure for the effective functioning of new AI models.
“This announcement is a turning point for the future of AI infrastructure and development in the UK,” emphasized Sunak in a statement released on Thursday.
Microsoft’s commitment to this significant investment comes despite remarks made by its president, Brad Smith in April, as reported by Reuters. At that time, Smith expressed concerns that a decision by the country’s antitrust regulator, which went against Microsoft, could jeopardize the tech industry’s confidence in Britain.
However, the UK regulator has since greenlit a restructured version of Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, restoring Britain to Microsoft’s favor.
In a statement released during a visit by Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt to a datacentre under construction in north London, Smith reaffirmed Microsoft’s dedication to ensuring that the UK possesses world-leading AI infrastructure.
As part of this expansive investment, Microsoft will be introducing more than 20,000 of the most advanced Graphics Processing Units to Britain.
These technological components are crucial for machine learning and AI development, as outlined in the government’s statement. Additionally, the investment encompasses a training plan aimed at equipping Britons with the skills necessary to construct and work with AI.
Last month, the United Kingdom government hosted the world’s inaugural AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, where 28 countries and the European Union endorsed the ‘Bletchley Declaration,’ a document signaling a collective commitment to cooperate on AI safety.
It was intended to lay the groundwork for international collaboration on AI safety and research and underscored the need for transparency and accountability in the development of cutting-edge AI technologies.
The aim is to deliberate and chart the path towards responsible and secure AI deployment. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hailed the ‘Bletchley Declaration’ as a landmark achievement, marking a global consensus on the urgency of understanding AI’s risks.
In yet another development, the UK Government in collaboration with the University of Bristol and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), announced an investment of £225 million to create Isambard-AI, the nation’s most powerful AI supercomputer.
According to the announcement, it is part of a broader £300 million initiative aimed at establishing a national Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (AIRR) that positions the UK as a global leader in AI.
