Kier Starmer launches £1bn AI investment package
Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday launched a £1bn investment package aimed at scaling up the UK’s AI infrastructure and skills training.
Starmer declared the country is ready to lead a new era of technological growth.
It comes at the opening of London Tech Week, with the Prime Minister launching the £187 million 'TechFirst' initiative to bring digital and AI training into schools and communities.
The UK government's broader national strategy, which includes private sector support from Nvidia, Microsoft, Google, IBM and others, is aimed at ensuring the UK remains globally competitive in an AI-powered economy.
The 'TechFirst' initiative has the goal of upskilling 1 million British school pupils and 7.5 million workers by the end of the decade.
“We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation – so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it,” Starmer said.
The government also introduced “Extract,” a new planning tool powered by Google’s Gemini AI, intended to accelerate housing development by streamlining application processes.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who joined Starmer on stage, talked up the UK’s AI credentials whilst announcing a plan to expand the chip-maker's AI research hub in Bristol.
“The [UK's AI] ecosystem is really perfect for takeoff,” Huang said at the event.
“The UK is such a great place to invest ... we’re going to start our AI lab ... and we’re going to partner with the UK to upskill the ecosystem of developers into AI.”
Nvidia has signed agreements to collaborate on building AI talent pipelines and university-led research.
“AI developers power the next industrial revolution,” said Huang. “AI talent, skills and research are crucial ingredients in the UK’s mission to become an AI maker, not an AI taker.”
