US Companies Pour $31B into UK for Data Centers, AI, and Infrastructure
US companies are pouring billions into the UK, with investments earmarked for new data centers, AI systems, and infrastructure projects. The move signals a shift in the UK's strategy, embracing US banks over domestic ones and EU competitors.
Microsoft is leading the charge, committing $30 billion over four years. This includes a supercomputer near London, boasting over 23,000 GPUs, in collaboration with Nscale. Google is also investing heavily, with £5 billion planned for a new data center in Hertfordshire over the next two years.
Other US banks are following suit. BlackRock is contributing £500 million to UK infrastructure. Nvidia is participating in an £11 billion program, aiming to install around 120,000 AI accelerators by 2026. Salesforce is expanding its investment program to a total of $6 billion. Meanwhile, US cloud provider CoreWeave has pledged £1.5 billion, including a data center in Scotland.
The 'Stargate UK' project, a collaboration between OpenAI, Nvidia, and UK data center provider Nscale, is enhancing the UK's AI infrastructure. Initially, it will use up to 8,000 GPUs of the Blackwell Nvidia generation. OpenAI is also introducing the OpenAI Academy in the UK to promote AI literacy and support the retraining of up to 7.5 million workers by 2030.
In total, US banks have pledged over £31 billion in investments for the UK. These investments are expected to drive growth in the UK's tech sector, create jobs, and enhance the country's AI capabilities. The UK's embrace of US banks signals a new era in transatlantic tech cooperation.
