British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has endorsed the AI Opportunities Action Plan, an initiative to make the United Kingdom a prime destination for companies involved in artificial intelligence research and development.
The plan reflects Starmer’s vision for the U.K. to achieve global leadership in AI by transforming the government’s approach to technology. Key components of the initiative include:
- establishing AI growth zones to accelerate proposal planning and develop AI infrastructure,
- creating a new National Data Library to unlock the value of public data,
- initiating the construction of a new supercomputer to meet the processing needs of AI, and
- forming a dedicated AI Energy Council to explore ways to power AI technologies using clean energy.
Matt Clifford, the country’s AI opportunities adviser, played a crucial role in developing the action plan. “This is a plan which puts us all-in – backing the potential of AI to grow our economy, improve lives for citizens, and make us a global hub for AI investment and innovation,” he said.
Starmer recognizes AI’s transformative power across various sectors. “The AI industry needs a government that is on their side, one that won’t sit back and let opportunities slip through its fingers,” the premier said. “In a world of fierce competition, we cannot stand by. We must move fast and take action to win the global race.”
The government’s AI initiative seeks to capitalize on the increasing interest from businesses looking to invest in the U.K. Several tech companies, including Vantage Data Centres, have expressed plans to expand their AI capabilities. Vantage is set to build the largest data center in Europe, located in Wales, which is expected to create over 11,500 jobs.