[UK] Microsoft unveils £2.5 billion AI investment

In the UK, the Chancellor has declared Microsoft’s significant investment in AI infrastructure and skills critical for future growth and innovation and said it will offer a boost to the nation as a science and technology superpower, GOV.UK reports.

Microsoft has committed to more than doubling its datacentre footprint in the UK and training more than one million people for the AI economy. Additionally, it is supporting the UK’s growing AI safety and research efforts through partnerships with the government and leading universities.

Microsoft will reportedly spend £2.5 billion over the next three years, as part of this, to expand its next-gen AI datacentre infrastructure, bringing more than 20,000 of the most advanced Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) - crucial for machine learning and the development of AI models - to the UK by 2026.  

The move represents the single largest investment in Microsoft’s 40-year history in the UK and will see the tech giant grow its UK AI infrastructure across sites in London and Cardiff together with a potential expansion into northern England, helping to meet the soaring demand for efficient, scalable and sustainable AI specific compute power. 

Datacentres process, host and store the massive amounts of digital information that is critical for developing AI models. 

This £2.5 billion commitment was confirmed on November 27 when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled £29.5 billion of investment in the nation’s most innovative sectors, including tech, life sciences, renewables, housing and infrastructure at the Global Investment Summit. 

The UK is already reportedly the leading European tech ecosystem; worth more than double Germany’s and three times as much as France’s in 2022. The UK’s AI sector also contributes £3.7 billion to the UK economy and employs 50,000 people across the country.

The Chancellor discussed Microsoft’s investment on a visit to one of its new, next-generation datacentre facilities  - which will run fully on renewable energy - under construction in North London. He was joined by Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, and Microsoft UK CEO, Clare Barclay.   

The Prime Minister said, “Microsoft are one of the founding fathers of modern technology and today’s announcement is a turning point for the future of AI infrastructure and development in the UK.

 “The UK started the global conversation on AI earlier this month, and Microsoft’s historic investment is further evidence of the leading role we continue to play in expanding the frontiers of AI to harness its economic and scientific benefits.”

Jeremy Hunt - Chancellor of the Exchequer - said, “The UK is the tech hub of Europe with an ecosystem worth more than that of Germany and France combined – and this investment is another vote of confidence in us as a science superpower.

 “And it follows the £500m investment in Compute that I committed to in my Autumn Statement last week, taking our investment in advanced computing for AI to £1.5bn – a down payment on the jobs and economic growth it will bring to the UK.”

Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology - said, “This is a huge vote of confidence in the strength of the UK’s technology sector, showing Microsoft’s support for the UK to reach superpower heights and cementing our global AI safety leadership.

“This investment not only bolsters critical infrastructure but also ensures that the UK remains at the forefront of driving economic growth and innovation.”

Brad Smith - Microsoft Vice Chair and President - said, “Microsoft is committed as a company to ensuring that the UK as a country has world-leading AI infrastructure, easy access to the skills people need, and broad protections for safety and security.” 

Clare Barclay - Microsoft UK CEO - said, “The pace of change in AI demands action today to build a prosperous future for the UK tomorrow.  Today marks the single largest investment in our more than 40-year history in the UK.

“As business and the public sector embrace the AI opportunity, we are building the infrastructure that will support the growth they need, training the people who can deliver it responsibly and securing our society against emergent threats”.

Microsoft will reportedly extend its Accelerating Foundation Models Research (AFMR) programme to include prioritised access to GPUs for the UK’s science and research community, to support research on AI.  AFMR drives interdisciplinary research on AI alignment and safety, beneficial applications of AI, and AI-driven scientific discovery in the natural and life sciences. This new UK effort will try to harness the power of AI to accelerate scientific discovery via multiscale multimodal data generation through prioritised access to Microsoft’s AI tools. 

This programme includes researchers from the UK’s world-leading participating universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, UCL, Bath and Nottingham.  

To support UK workers across the AI economy, Microsoft will also make a multi-million-pound investment to train one million people in the skills they need to build and work with AI, including expanded training for people looking to start, or move into, a career in AI.

In partnership with multiple learning and non-profit partners, the programme will focus on building AI fluency, developing AI technical skills, supporting AI business transformation, and promoting safe and responsible AI development and use including the first Professional Certificate on Generative AI.

Source: GOV.UK

(Quotes via original reporting)

In the UK, the Chancellor has declared Microsoft’s significant investment in AI infrastructure and skills critical for future growth and innovation and said it will offer a boost to the nation as a science and technology superpower, GOV.UK reports.

Microsoft has committed to more than doubling its datacentre footprint in the UK and training more than one million people for the AI economy. Additionally, it is supporting the UK’s growing AI safety and research efforts through partnerships with the government and leading universities.

Microsoft will reportedly spend £2.5 billion over the next three years, as part of this, to expand its next-gen AI datacentre infrastructure, bringing more than 20,000 of the most advanced Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) - crucial for machine learning and the development of AI models - to the UK by 2026.  

The move represents the single largest investment in Microsoft’s 40-year history in the UK and will see the tech giant grow its UK AI infrastructure across sites in London and Cardiff together with a potential expansion into northern England, helping to meet the soaring demand for efficient, scalable and sustainable AI specific compute power. 

Datacentres process, host and store the massive amounts of digital information that is critical for developing AI models. 

This £2.5 billion commitment was confirmed on November 27 when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled £29.5 billion of investment in the nation’s most innovative sectors, including tech, life sciences, renewables, housing and infrastructure at the Global Investment Summit. 

The UK is already reportedly the leading European tech ecosystem; worth more than double Germany’s and three times as much as France’s in 2022. The UK’s AI sector also contributes £3.7 billion to the UK economy and employs 50,000 people across the country.

The Chancellor discussed Microsoft’s investment on a visit to one of its new, next-generation datacentre facilities  - which will run fully on renewable energy - under construction in North London. He was joined by Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, and Microsoft UK CEO, Clare Barclay.   

The Prime Minister said, “Microsoft are one of the founding fathers of modern technology and today’s announcement is a turning point for the future of AI infrastructure and development in the UK.

 “The UK started the global conversation on AI earlier this month, and Microsoft’s historic investment is further evidence of the leading role we continue to play in expanding the frontiers of AI to harness its economic and scientific benefits.”

Jeremy Hunt - Chancellor of the Exchequer - said, “The UK is the tech hub of Europe with an ecosystem worth more than that of Germany and France combined – and this investment is another vote of confidence in us as a science superpower.

 “And it follows the £500m investment in Compute that I committed to in my Autumn Statement last week, taking our investment in advanced computing for AI to £1.5bn – a down payment on the jobs and economic growth it will bring to the UK.”

Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology - said, “This is a huge vote of confidence in the strength of the UK’s technology sector, showing Microsoft’s support for the UK to reach superpower heights and cementing our global AI safety leadership.

“This investment not only bolsters critical infrastructure but also ensures that the UK remains at the forefront of driving economic growth and innovation.”

Brad Smith - Microsoft Vice Chair and President - said, “Microsoft is committed as a company to ensuring that the UK as a country has world-leading AI infrastructure, easy access to the skills people need, and broad protections for safety and security.” 

Clare Barclay - Microsoft UK CEO - said, “The pace of change in AI demands action today to build a prosperous future for the UK tomorrow.  Today marks the single largest investment in our more than 40-year history in the UK.

“As business and the public sector embrace the AI opportunity, we are building the infrastructure that will support the growth they need, training the people who can deliver it responsibly and securing our society against emergent threats”.

Microsoft will reportedly extend its Accelerating Foundation Models Research (AFMR) programme to include prioritised access to GPUs for the UK’s science and research community, to support research on AI.  AFMR drives interdisciplinary research on AI alignment and safety, beneficial applications of AI, and AI-driven scientific discovery in the natural and life sciences. This new UK effort will try to harness the power of AI to accelerate scientific discovery via multiscale multimodal data generation through prioritised access to Microsoft’s AI tools. 

This programme includes researchers from the UK’s world-leading participating universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, UCL, Bath and Nottingham.  

To support UK workers across the AI economy, Microsoft will also make a multi-million-pound investment to train one million people in the skills they need to build and work with AI, including expanded training for people looking to start, or move into, a career in AI.

In partnership with multiple learning and non-profit partners, the programme will focus on building AI fluency, developing AI technical skills, supporting AI business transformation, and promoting safe and responsible AI development and use including the first Professional Certificate on Generative AI.

Source: GOV.UK

(Quotes via original reporting)