Industry figures have said .Scotland is in prime position to capitalise on a £150billion AI investment announced by Donald Trump on his UK visit.
The US President arrived in London on Tuesday to begin his second official visit(Image: Getty)
Scotland is in prime position to capitalise on a £150billion AI investment announced by Donald Trump on his UK visit, industry figures say.
The US President and Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed a “tech prosperity deal” at Chequers which it’s hoped will create 7600 jobs with firms like Microsoft and Google investing tens of billions over four years.
Scotland should benefit because it has 15 large operational data centres and new facilities planned along with abundant renewable energy.
Trump’s previous UK state visit took place in 2019 during his first presidential term(Image: Getty)
Artificial intelligence (AI) expert Emmet King said: “At its heart, this raft of deals signal more jobs, more data centres and more research capacity in the UK.
“That’s great news for Scotland when it already has strong AI foundations to anchor from. It puts Scotland in prime position to make the best of any investment.”
Scotland’s data centres and AI facilities include the ARCHER2 computing facility at Edinburgh University’s EPCC, the UK’s leading supercomputing institute.
King, who is managing partner at J12, a European tech investor, said these sites were “magnets” for AI research, talent and start-ups.
But he also highlighted how ramping up AI across the UK would require “massive” investment in power infrastructure.
Studies have found that by 2026, data centres powering energy-hungry AI are projected to gobble up as much energy as the electricity consumption of Japan.
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In July, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband rejected proposals for zonal pricing which would have meant cheaper electricity in Scotland due to our abundant renewable energy sources.
Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill said: “Scotland should be the destination of choice for many of these new businesses needing energy and water.
“But Labour’s energy policy is harming us in our country’s second great natural bounty – as they did with our first of oil. The North Sea is still flowing but Grangemouth refinery has shut.
“Now in renewables we’re to produce plentiful clean energy but not to benefit from it either with cheaper electricity or businesses with the jobs they bring. It’s why there has to be zonal pricing for our people and our country.”