TMTPOST -- Microsoft Corporation is joining U.S. tech giants which pledged several billions of dollars’ investment in Britain’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
Credit：Microsoft
Microsoft on Tuesday announced a $30 billion investment in AI infrastructure and ongoing operations across Britain from 2025 through 2028. This marks the largest financial commitment Microsoft has ever made in the kingdom.
The four-year investment includes an additional $15 billion in capital expenditures to build out Britain’s cloud and AI infrastructure, said Microsoft. With this investment, Microsoft will partner with Nscale, a British cloud computing firm, to build Britain’s largest supercomputer, with more than 23,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) made by Nvidia Corporation.
Microsoft said the other half of its investment will support its operation across Britain, including workforce of 6,000 employees, located in multiple sites and cities. They span the diversity of our businesses, working on advanced research, AI model development, product development, the creation of new games, the operations of our datacenters, and sales and support to customers in every part of the nation.
The announcement was made as U.S. President Donald Trump started his trip to Britain, which made him the first U.S. President to get a second state visit to the country. . King Charles III will host Trump at Windsor Castle on Wednesday before talks the next day with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, the British leader’s rural retreat.
“Microsoft’s landmark investment is a powerful vote of confidence in UK’s leadership in AI and cutting-edge technology, said Starmer. “This commitment will not only strengthen our digital infrastructure and support thousands of highly skilled jobs, but also ensure Britain remains at the forefront of global innovation as we deliver on our Plan for Change.”
Trump is expected to announce economic deals totaling more than $10 billion during his trip, Bloomberg cited senior U.S. officials on Monday. The visit will reportedly include a science and technology partnership that is expected to include billions of dollars in new investment, a defense technology cooperation agreement, as well as an effort to deepen connections between leading financial hubs in both countries.
Multiple top U.S. tech leaders, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, are also expected to participate in roundtable events on Thursday at Chequers.
Following Microsoft’s announcement, the British government unveiled Microsoft and other U.S. tech companies made committed investment of hundreds of billions of dollars.
America’s top technology and AI firms – like Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, OpenAI and CoreWeave – commit a combined £31 billion ($43.2 billion) to boost the Britain’s AI infrastructure and cutting-edge tech, from data centres to computer chips, the processing power behind AI, Britain’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said in a statement on Tuesdayon Tuesday.
As part of Trump’s State Visit, Britain and the U.S. have agreed the Tech Prosperity Deal, focused on developing the fastest growing technologies like AI, quantum, and nuclear. The transatlantic pact to speed up world-leading AI research to help develop new drugs, faster life-saving treatments and improved cancer care, according to the statement.
North East is set to become new AI Growth Zone – creating potential for more than 5,000 jobs and billions in private investment – as well as major deal struck between Nscale and leading American firms Nvidia and OpenAI to deliver a Stargate project in Britain at Cobalt Park.
Nividia will join forces with companies across Britain to deploy 120,000 advanced GPUs across the UK, representing its biggest ever rollout in Europe to date. This infrastructure is the building block of AI technology, able to carry out a huge number of calculations in a split second.
In addition to partnership with Microsoft, Nscale will also work with OpenAI to deliver a Stargate project in Britain, with the deployment of up to 60,000 Nividia Grace Blackwell Ultra GPUs.
