The UK and US have announced a new Tech Prosperity Deal as part of the US President’s State Visit, with a focus on developing fast-growing technologies including AI, quantum computing and nuclear power.
The agreement comes alongside a raft of new investments totalling £31 billion from leading US technology firms – including Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, OpenAI and CoreWeave – aimed at boosting the UK’s AI infrastructure and wider technology ecosystem.
The commitments span new data centres, semiconductor development, and the processing power needed to accelerate AI adoption.
The latest commitments build on the £44 billion previously invested in the UK’s AI and tech sector under the current government.
Focus on healthcare, energy and growth
Under the partnership, the UK and US will combine resources and expertise to develop emerging technologies with practical benefits across multiple sectors.
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Healthcare: The two nations will collaborate on quantum computing tech and new AI applications to speed up the discovery of targeted treatments, potentially helping millions of patients access life-saving therapies faster.
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Energy: A new civil nuclear deal aims to cut red tape and accelerate project delivery, providing British families with more reliable, cleaner energy and protecting consumers from volatility in global fossil fuel prices.
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Regional growth: A new AI Growth Zone in the North East will seek to attract billions in investment and create skilled jobs, with Nscale and leading US firms building AI infrastructure to provide British businesses with access to cutting-edge chips.
The deal will also include joint UK-US research schemes across shared priorities such as fusion energy and the use of AI in healthcare.
Prime Minister and ministers welcome agreement
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “This Tech Prosperity Deal marks a generational step change in our relationship with the US, shaping the futures of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and delivering growth, security and opportunity up and down the country.
By teaming-up with world-class companies from both the UK and US, we’re laying the foundations for a future where together we are world leaders in the technology of tomorrow, creating highly skilled jobs, putting more money in people’s pockets and ensuring this partnership benefits every corner of the United Kingdom.”
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall added: “This partnership will deliver good jobs, life-saving treatments and faster medical breakthroughs for the British people.
Our world-leading tech companies and scientists will be working together to transform lives across Britain.
This is a vote of confidence in Britain’s booming AI sector – building on British success stories such as Arm, Wayve and Google Deepmind – that will boost growth and deliver tens of thousands of skilled jobs.”
Major corporate commitments
Several of the world’s largest technology firms unveiled significant new investments under the deal:
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Microsoft: A record $30 billion (£22 billion) commitment to AI infrastructure and operations across the UK, including development of the country’s largest supercomputer with over 23,000 advanced GPUs, in partnership with Nscale.
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Google: A £5 billion investment over two years, including a new data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, and further development of Google DeepMind’s AI research. The investment is expected to support 8,250 jobs annually at UK businesses.
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CoreWeave: A further £1.5 billion investment in UK AI data centres, bringing its total UK investment to £2.5 billion. This includes a partnership with DataVita in Scotland to build one of Europe’s largest AI data centres, powered by renewable energy.
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Salesforce: An additional $2 billion (£1.4 billion) investment through 2030, expanding its UK business as an AI hub for Europe.
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AI Pathfinder: An initial £1 billion commitment to AI compute capacity, beginning with a project in Northamptonshire.
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NVIDIA: Deployment of 120,000 GPUs across the UK, its largest European rollout to date, including up to 60,000 Grace Blackwell Ultra GPUs via Nscale. These will support the Stargate UK project with OpenAI and Microsoft, including a new supercomputer in Loughton. NVIDIA will also invest in UK AI startups.
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Scale AI: A £39 million investment in the UK over the next two years, expanding its European HQ in London and quadrupling staff by next year.
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BlackRock: A £500 million investment in enterprise data centres across the UK, including an initial £100 million expansion west of London.
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Blackstone: Plans for £10 billion in projected investment in a Northumberland data centre campus, designated an AI Growth Zone by government.
These announcements follow recent commitments from Oracle (£5 billion over five years for UK government AI infrastructure) and Amazon Web Services (£8 billion investment in UK data centres).
Collaboration on semiconductors and quantum
Semiconductor designs from Arm form part of NVIDIA’s Grace Blackwell series, underlining cross-Atlantic collaboration.
In quantum computing, Oxford Quantum Circuits and US firm IonQ announced new UK developments. OQC, in collaboration with NVIDIA and Digital Realty, has installed New York City’s first quantum computer and launched a Quantum-AI Data Centre near the city.
Meanwhile, IonQ has set up its EMEA HQ and R&D hub in Oxford following a $1 billion merger with UK startup Oxford Ionics.
Industry leaders react
NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said: “Today marks a historic chapter in U.S. – United Kingdom technology collaboration.
“We are at the Big Bang of the AI era – and the United Kingdom stands in a Goldilocks position, where world-class talent, research and industry converge.
“By building state-of-the-art AI infrastructure and investing in British startups, we are unlocking the power of AI for the U.K. – fuelling breakthroughs, creating jobs, and igniting the next industrial revolution.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman commented: “The UK has been a longstanding pioneer of AI, and is now home to world-class researchers, millions of ChatGPT users, and a government that quickly recognized the potential of this technology. Stargate UK builds on this foundation to help accelerate scientific breakthroughs, improve productivity, and drive economic growth.”
Nscale CEO Josh Payne added: “We’re delighted to announce Nscale’s commitment to UK AI infrastructure today, including through Stargate UK and building the most powerful supercomputer in the country with Microsoft. As a UK-based company, we’re showing how we can be makers, not takers, of the most important technology of our time.”
Arm CEO Rene Haas said: “The launch of Stargate UK represents a critical step in expanding Britain’s AI computing power and digital infrastructure. As a company founded and headquartered in the UK, Arm is proud to be at the forefront of the nation’s semiconductor plans and to be a technology partner for Stargate UK, delivering the computing platform that makes scalable, energy-efficient AI possible.”
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Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella stated: “We’re committed to creating new opportunity for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, and to ensuring America remains a trusted and reliable tech partner for the United Kingdom.
That is why we are doubling down on our investment in the UK, investing more than $30 billion over 4 years, including building the country’s largest supercomputer.”
CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator said: “Our investment in the UK will establish one of the world’s largest concentrations of state-of-the-art, sustainable compute, unlocking new opportunities for innovation, economic growth, and scientific discovery.
It allows us to deliver unparalleled AI performance with the lowest possible environmental impact, setting a new global standard.”
Salesforce Chair and CEO Marc Benioff added: “We are doubling down on our long-standing commitment to the UK with this significant investment.
We’re delighted that the UK, already a vital talent and innovation centre, will become our AI hub for Europe, driving product innovation for customers across the region.”
James Seppala, Chairman of Blackstone Europe, commented: “We are delighted that the government has designated our hyperscale data centre campus in Northumberland as an AI Growth Zone. This should help accelerate the development of one of Europe’s largest data centre facilities, with £10 billion of projected investment by Blackstone funds.
“We hope that the project will represent a transformational investment for the region, with the potential to deliver substantial benefits to the country and local communities, by driving innovation, creating high-skilled jobs, and solidifying the UK’s position as a global AI leader.”
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