The U.K. government recently made a significant decision to cancel £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) worth of computing infrastructure projects, dealing a blow to the country’s aspirations to become a global leader in artificial intelligence. The cancellation of two major taxpayer-funded commitments, totaling £500 million and £800 million, respectively, was confirmed by a government spokesperson in order to prioritize other fiscal plans.
The £500 million pledge, initially promised by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government, was intended for the AI Research Resource, a development initiative focused on strengthening the U.K.’s compute infrastructure. On the other hand, the £800 million commitment, also announced last year, would have supported the establishment of a next-generation exascale computer at the University of Edinburgh capable of performing 1 trillion calculations a second. These projects aimed to enhance the U.K.’s capacity to build high-performance infrastructure capable of running advanced AI models, which are power-intensive and demand significant training data.
The newly elected Labour government has made it clear that they will not be moving forward with either of these pledges. A spokesperson for the U.K.’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) emphasized the government’s commitment to constructing technology infrastructure that fosters growth and opportunity nationwide. They underscored the necessity of making challenging spending decisions across all departments to address the billions of pounds in unfunded commitments and achieve economic stability.
In response to these developments, the government introduced an AI Opportunities Action Plan aimed at enhancing the U.K.’s computing infrastructure to better align with its requirements and leveraging AI and other emerging technologies to bolster Britain’s industrial strategy. While the previous administration, under Sunak, prioritized leadership in AI by hosting a global AI safety summit at the historic Bletchley Park, the current government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer is exploring the implementation of new statutory regulations for the AI industry.
Unlike his predecessor who refrained from implementing formal legislation for AI to avoid stifling innovation, Prime Minister Starmer’s administration is seeking to introduce regulations for the AI industry. The expectation was that the Labour government would announce the U.K.’s first-ever AI Bill in a recent speech by King Charles III, though this announcement did not materialize. However, a DSIT spokesperson confirmed that consultations on regulating AI will be conducted in the near future.
The cancellation of £1.3 billion worth of AI projects by the U.K. government represents a setback to the country’s ambition to lead in artificial intelligence. The decision to prioritize other fiscal plans over these crucial infrastructure developments raises questions about the future of AI in the U.K. and the government’s commitment to fostering innovation and technological advancement.