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UK and US Seal £42B Tech Pact to Drive AI, Quantum, and Cloud Projects

By  |  September 17, 2025

Britain and the United States have announced a wide-ranging pact to boost collaboration in emerging technologies, with commitments from major tech firms to invest billions in the UK. According to Reuters, the agreement covers joint work on artificial intelligence for healthcare, quantum computing advances, and more streamlined civil nuclear projects. Officials said the initiative is designed to strengthen economic growth, research, and energy security across both countries.

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    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the deal as one with the potential to shape the lives of millions on both sides of the Atlantic. He emphasized that it could deliver both growth and long-term security. Per Reuters, Starmer is under pressure to revive Britain’s sluggish economy and sees closer ties with the United States, particularly in technology, as a way to attract new investment.

    A central aspect of the partnership is Britain’s pitch to become a leading hub for artificial intelligence development by adopting lighter-touch regulations, closer in line with Washington’s stance than with the stricter European Union approach. The Trump administration had previously voiced opposition to European online safety rules and digital taxes, including those affecting Britain, though Reuters noted these issues were not part of the current discussions.

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    Under the newly unveiled projects, Nvidia announced it would roll out 120,000 graphics processing units across the UK, marking its largest European deployment to date. The company also plans to deliver up to 60,000 Grace Blackwell Ultra chips in cooperation with UK-based Nscale, which will partner with OpenAI and Microsoft in creating Britain’s largest AI supercomputer in Loughton, north-east London. Microsoft confirmed it would invest 22 billion pounds to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure, including the supercomputer. Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chair and CEO, said the company aimed to ensure America remained a reliable technology partner for Britain, while president Brad Smith highlighted significantly improved relations with the UK since its regulators dropped opposition to Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard.

    Other global firms have also committed large-scale investments. Google pledged 5 billion pounds for new projects, including a data center in Waltham Cross and further backing for its DeepMind AI research. CoreWeave said its 1.5 billion pound initiative, in partnership with Scottish firm DataVita, would expand energy-efficient data centers, bringing its total UK investment to 2.5 billion pounds. According to Reuters, additional commitments came from Salesforce, Scale AI, BlackRock, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, and AI Pathfinder, with contributions ranging from hundreds of millions to several billion pounds.

    Nvidia’s vice president for enterprise, David Hogan, underscored the significance of the new commitments, telling reporters the investments would make the UK “an AI maker, not an AI taker.”

    Source: Reuters