Amazon's $54 Billion UK Investment: Boosting AI Infrastructure and Creating Thousands of Jobs

Amazon to create thousands of new U.K. jobs as part of $54 billion investment -- PM Starmer calls the deal 'another major win'

Online retail giant Amazon will invest £40 billion ($54 billion) in the UK over the next three years, the government said Tuesday, a boost for Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he struggles to kickstart the economy. Starmer, who met Amazon CEO Andy Jassy last week, said the announcement "adds another major win to Britain's basket and is a massive vote of confidence in the UK as the best place to do business. "It means thousands of new jobs -- real opportunities for people in every corner of the country to build careers, learn new skills, and support their families. "Whether it's cutting-edge AI or same-day delivery, this deal shows that our Plan for Change is working -- bringing in investment, driving growth, and putting more money in people's pockets," he added. The £40 billion will be used to build four distribution centres, creating an estimated 4,000 jobs, and to renovate the historic Bray Film Studios, acquired in July 2024. In December, Amazon signed an agreement with Games Workshop, the British company that owns the rights to "Warhammer 40,000", to produce films and TV series based on the futuristic fantasy universe. The project is set to star Henry Cavill, known for his roles in in "Superman" and "The Witcher". The investment also includes part of the £8 billion previously announced in September 2024 for building, operating and maintaining data centres in the UK, aimed at boosting artificial intelligence (AI) computer capacity. The announcement coincides with the publication of the government's "Modern Industrial Strategy", which outlines how the state and high-growth industries will collaborate in the future. It offers a rare piece of good news for the Labour government, which has been buffeted by US tariffs and global conflicts and seen its domestic policy of tax hikes and public investment fail to deliver on its promise of growth. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will visit Amazon's headquarters in London on Tuesday to mark the announcement. "Our Modern Industrial Strategy will ensure the UK is the best country to invest and do business, and seeing massive international firms like Amazon bank on Britain shows we are on the right track," he said. Amazon already employs more than 75,000 people in over 100 sites across the UK. Jassy said the company was "bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. "Amazon has been proud to serve our customers in the UK for the past 27 years. Thanks to their support, we've grown to be part of over 100 communities nationwide, from developing drone technology in Darlington to producing world-class entertainment at our studios in Bray," he added. Jassy announced last February that Amazon would invest more than $100 billion this year, primarily to boost its cloud and AI capabilities. Australia was the focus last week, when the US firm announced $13.3 billion over five years for its data centres, the largest technology investment ever made in the country. In June, Amazon also announced major investments in North Carolina ($10 billion) and Pennsylvania ($20 billion), again for data centres and AI projects. Amazon is currently under investigation by the UK Food Regulator, suspected of late payments to food suppliers. If found guilty, Amazon could be fined up to one percent of its annual UK turnover.

Amazon Plans to Invest Nearly $55B in UK, Expanding AI Infrastructure

The plan to ramp up its spending in the U.K. comes just days after Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the tech firm plans to trim its corporate workforce over the next few years with the spread of AI. Amazon (AMZN) said Tuesday it is planning to invest 40 billion British pounds ($54.4 billion) in the U.K. over the next three years, including an expansion of its cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. The tech giant also said it would build four new fulfillment centres and new delivery stations around the country. The funds will be used to upgrade and expand its existing network of more than 100 operations buildings in the U.K. as well, it said. Amazon said the investment in the U.K. will create thousands of new permanent, full-time jobs. The company said that it already employs more than 75,000 people in the U.K., and pays full-time workers a minimum of 28,000 pounds a year, and 30,000 pounds annually in London. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the Amazon investment "a massive vote of confidence" in the country. The move to ramp up spending in the U.K. comes just days after Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the tech firm plans to trim its corporate workforce over the next few years with the spread of artificial intelligence. Amazon shares, which entered Tuesday down almost 5% this year, were up about 2% in premarket trading.

Amazon to invest £40 billion in UK over 3 years: govt

Online retail giant Amazon will invest £40 billion ($54 billion) in the UK over the next three years, the government said Tuesday, a boost for Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he struggles to kickstart the economy. Jassy announced last February that Amazon would invest more than $100 billion this year, primarily to boost its cloud and AI capabilities.Online retail giant Amazon will invest £40 billion ($54 billion) in the UK over the next three years, the government said Tuesday, a boost for Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he struggles to kickstart the economy. Starmer, who met Amazon CEO Andy Jassy last week, said the announcement "adds another major win to Britain's basket and is a massive vote of confidence in the UK as the best place to do business. "It means thousands of new jobs -- real opportunities for people in every corner of the country to build careers, learn new skills, and support their families. "Whether it's cutting-edge AI or same-day delivery, this deal shows that our Plan for Change is working -- bringing in investment, driving growth, and putting more money in people's pockets," he added. The £40 billion will be used to build four distribution centres, creating an estimated 4,000 jobs, and to renovate the historic Bray Film Studios, acquired in July 2024. In December, Amazon signed an agreement with Games Workshop, the British company that owns the rights to "Warhammer 40,000", to produce films and TV series based on the futuristic fantasy universe. The project is set to star Henry Cavill, known for his roles in in "Superman" and "The Witcher". The investment also includes part of the £8 billion previously announced in September 2024 for building, operating and maintaining data centres in the UK, aimed at boosting artificial intelligence (AI) computer capacity. The announcement coincides with the publication of the government's "Modern Industrial Strategy", which outlines how the state and high-growth industries will collaborate in the future. 'Right track' It offers a rare piece of good news for the Labour government, which has been buffeted by US tariffs and global conflicts and seen its domestic policy of tax hikes and public investment fail to deliver on its promise of growth. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will visit Amazon's headquarters in London on Tuesday to mark the announcement. "Our Modern Industrial Strategy will ensure the UK is the best country to invest and do business, and seeing massive international firms like Amazon bank on Britain shows we are on the right track," he said. Amazon already employs more than 75,000 people in over 100 sites across the UK. Jassy said the company was "bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. "Amazon has been proud to serve our customers in the UK for the past 27 years. Thanks to their support, we've grown to be part of over 100 communities nationwide, from developing drone technology in Darlington to producing world-class entertainment at our studios in Bray," he added. Jassy announced last February that Amazon would invest more than $100 billion this year, primarily to boost its cloud and AI capabilities. Australia was the focus last week, when the US firm announced $13.3 billion over five years for its data centres, the largest technology investment ever made in the country. In June, Amazon also announced major investments in North Carolina ($10 billion) and Pennsylvania ($20 billion), again for data centres and AI projects. Amazon is currently under investigation by the UK Food Regulator, suspected of late payments to food suppliers. If found guilty, Amazon could be fined up to one percent of its annual UK turnover.

Amazon announces plan to invest $54 billion into the U.K.

June 24 (UPI) --Amazon on Tuesday announced plans to invest $54 billion in the United Kingdom over the next three years to create thousands of full-time jobs on Tuesday. The investment will look to expand Amazon's existing 75,000-person U.K. workforce as it aims to build four new fulfilment centers, new delivery stations nationwide in addition to upgrading and expanding ts network across the country, and creating thousands of jobs. "Amazon has been proud to serve our customers in the U.K. for the past 27 years. Thanks to their support, we've grown to be part of over 100 communities nationwide, from developing drone technology in Darlington to producing world-class entertainment at our studios in Bray," said Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. Amazon will add 60 new roles across the new sites mostly outside of London and South East England including robotics technicians, safety experts and mechatronic engineers. This includes 2,000 jobs at the previously announced state-of-the-art fulfilment center in Hull and 2,000 jobs at another in Northampton. Also, additional positions at new sites in the East Midlands at stations across the country. "When Amazon invests, it's not only in London and the South East -- we're bringing innovation and job creation to communities throughout England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, strengthening the U.K.'s economy and delivering better experiences for customers wherever they live," he added. This is also part of a previously announced $10 billion investment in September 2024 to support the U.K.'s ambition to create AI compute capacity, and help the U.K.'s digital economy. "Amazon's $54 billion investment adds another major win to Britain's basket and is a massive vote of confidence in the U.K. as the best place to do business. It means thousands of new jobs-real opportunities for people in every corner of the country to build careers, learn new skills, and support their families," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a press release. "This investment is a powerful endorsement of Britain's economic strengths," said Chancellor Rachel Reeves. "The world is changing, but this Government is working hand in hand with businesses to navigate that change to create jobs, wealth, and opportunity in every corner of the country." "Our Modern Industrial Strategy will ensure the U.K. is the best country to invest and do business, and seeing massive international firms like Amazon bank in Britain shows we are on the right track," said Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds.

Amazon to Invest Around $54 Billion in U.K. Amid E-Commerce, AI Push -- Update

Amazon.com plans to invest about $54 billion in the U.K. over the next three years, expanding its warehouse network and artificial-intelligence infrastructure to bulk up its e-commerce and cloud operations. The U.S. tech company said Tuesday that its investment of 40 billion pounds, equivalent to $54.10 billion, would create thousands of jobs and contribute to the country's economy and AI ambitions. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the move a vote of confidence in the country. News of Amazon's investment came shortly after the U.K. government launched its industrial strategy, a 10-year plan that aims to attract investment in key sectors to drive economic growth. Amazon set out plans for multibillion-dollar investments in several parts of the U.S. and countries like Australia and Taiwan in recent weeks. Most of those outlays seek to bolster its data-center network to meet booming global demand for AI computing. In the U.K., the company is also looking to expand the infrastructure that underpins its core e-commerce operations, by investing in building new warehouses, adding delivery stations and upgrading its transportation network. Amazon said it expects to create 2,000 jobs at a previously announced fulfillment center in Hull that is set to open this year, another 2,000 positions at a new facility in Northampton, and additional roles at new sites in the East Midlands. The investment will also result in additional jobs at delivery stations across the country, the company said. The plan comes after Amazon Chief Executive Andy Jassy last week outlined plans to reduce the company's workforce in the coming years due to the increasing use of AI. Jassy said the efficiency gains from using generative AI would result in cuts, but didn't specify how much the size of Amazon's workforce would be reduced. The company currently employs more than 75,000 people in the U.K. and is a top 10 private-sector employer, it said. Amazon said its U.K. investment plan also includes part of the 8 billion pounds it earmarked last year for building, operating and maintaining data centers in the country through 2028. The company also plans to allocate funds to original TV and film productions and to redevelop the historic Bray Film Studios in Berkshire, it said. The U.K. government is seeking to spur business investment in sectors like advanced manufacturing, defense, technology and the creative industries. The number of foreign-direct-investment projects into the U.K. declined last year, similar to other leading European economies, but the country continues to be the top destination for tech investments, according to a report by EY published in May. The U.K.'s share of foreign-direct-investment projects in Europe fell to 15.9% last year from 17.3% five years before, according to EY. Write to Najat Kantouar at [email protected]