US Tech Giants Pledge Billions in UK AI Investment During Trump's Visit

US Tech Giants Race to Spend Billions in UK AI Push

Microsoft and Nvidia unveiled plans to invest up to $45 billion in the UK during US President Donald Trump's state visit. Microsoft and Nvidia have unveiled plans to invest up to $45 billion dollars into the UK economy, in a move that will bolster the building of more data centers as well as research and development into artificial intelligence. The investment comes as US President Donald Trump travels to Britain, where he is expected to announce a US-UK tech deal alongside UK prime minister Keir Starmer. As part of the agreement, Microsoft has committed to invest $30 billion in AI infrastructure over the next four years. The company claims this is the largest financial commitment it has ever made in the UK and will make up more than two thirds of the total investment announced into the UK this week, timed to Trump's visit. "We are focused on British pounds, not empty tech promises," Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice chair and president, told journalists in a virtual briefing ahead of the announcement today. "We will be good for every cent of this investment." Half of the money will go to capital expansion -- "all new money, all new investments," Smith claimed -- whereas the other half will go to efforts like a partnership with the data center business Nscale, to finance and use its facilities. Nvidia, for its part, has pledged to spend up to $15 billion on AI-related R&D efforts in the UK. The chipmaker will not invest directly into building out the infrastructure, instead acting through its partners CoreWeave and Nscale. This announcement comes alongside a new joint venture from Nvidia, Nscale, and OpenAI today, which plans to "strengthen the UK's sovereign compute capabilities" through an AI infrastructure partnership called Stargate UK. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang traveled with Trump to the UK during his state visit this week. "Stargate UK ensures OpenAI's world-leading AI models can run on local computing power in the UK, for the UK," said OpenAI in a statement. OpenAI will provide up to 8,000 GPUs in the first quarter of 2026 with the potential to scale to 31,000 GPUs over time. As part of the agreement, OpenAI says Nscale is set to significantly expand its capacity across a number of sites in the UK, including Cobalt Park in Newcastle, which will be part of a newly designated AI Growth Zone in the North East. "This historic commitment from Nscale shows how the UK can build the future of AI, together with our partners from the US," Nscale CEO Josh Payne said in a statement. "It's only by building world-class AI infrastructure that we will stay competitive in the global race." When asked to characterize Microsoft's relationship with Nscale, Smith said simply, "we write the check, and they spend the money." Smith was quick to claim that the company did not get a request from the Trump administration to make an investment announcement. "We have had many conversations with the UK government, including with folks at Number 10, as you would expect, and those have been going on for months," he said.

US tech giants pledge billions for UK AI infrastructure during Trump visit

US tech giants including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google and OpenAI said they would together invest tens of billions of pounds to build computing infrastructure in the UK, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailed a new tech alliance with President Donald Trump. The largest commitment comes from Microsoft, which plans to invest $30bn in artificial intelligence in the four years to 2028, about half of which will go towards cloud and AI infrastructure in Britain. That includes backing construction of the UK's largest supercomputer with 23,000 AI chips, agreeing a long-term leasing contract with London-based data centre company Nscale. Trump landed in the UK late on Tuesday night as part of an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, as the prime minister tries to bolster the relationship at a time when the president has threatened to pull back from Europe. Starmer said on Tuesday that his new tech deal with Trump marked a "decisive step towards the UK becoming a world leader in AI". UK officials have likened increased co-operation between London and Washington in areas such as AI, quantum computing and nuclear energy as the start of a new "special relationship" akin to the one the UK has long tried to foster in defence and security. "A few years ago this investment would have been inconceivable because of the regulatory climate," said Microsoft president Brad Smith, referring to the company's protracted $75bn takeover of Activision Blizzard that was held up by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority. The investments also mark a turnaround for Starmer after Nvidia chief Jensen Huang chided the British prime minister on stage at London Tech Week in June for the country's "surprising" lack of AI infrastructure, lagging behind the rest of Europe. On Tuesday, Nvidia said Microsoft and other customers would collectively deploy 120,000 of its latest Blackwell AI chips -- which are estimated to cost upwards of $30,000 each -- in the UK by the end of next year, creating the largest such cluster in Europe. "The United Kingdom stands in a Goldilocks position, where world-class talent, research and industry converge," Huang said. A host of US tech leaders are expected to participate in the visit, including Huang, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Microsoft's Satya Nadella. Trump said as he left the White House the trip was "primarily" to spend time with King Charles and Queen Camilla, but added he was looking to improve trade ties. Starmer is hoping Trump will make permanent a 25 per cent tariff on all British steel exports -- half the 50 per cent charged on exports from other countries -- although not the 0 per cent rate originally agreed for a certain quota of goods in the US-UK trade deal. "They want to see if they can refine the trade deal a little bit," Trump said. "We made a deal and it's a great deal, and I'm into helping them." As part of the package of tech announcements unveiled on Tuesday night, OpenAI said it planned to build data centre infrastructure to support its Stargate project, including working with Nscale to build a facility in a new "AI Growth Zone" in the north-east of England. Nvidia said Nscale and CoreWeave, another US cloud provider specialising in AI data centres, would together be deploying more than £11bn worth of computing power for AI. The figure includes thousands of Nvidia chips Nscale plans to deploy outside the UK. Earlier on Tuesday, Google said it planned to spend £5bn over the next two years in the UK, which is home to many of its AI unit DeepMind's top researchers. Keegan McBride, senior policy adviser on tech and geopolitics at the Tony Blair Institute, said the UK-US alliance was a "breakthrough moment" for Britain's ambitions to be a leader in deploying AI and applying it to industries such as healthcare. "The deal is a first of its kind with the US and cements a true 'tech special relationship'," McBride said. But the Computer & Communications Industry Association, a tech trade group, said the deal left "vital work to be done to address outstanding concerns" from the Trump administration over the UK's online safety rules, competition enforcement and digital services tax.

UK and US agree $42 billion tech pact to mark Trump's visit

LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Britain and the United States have agreed a technology pact to boost ties in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy, with top U.S. firms led by Microsoft pledging 31 billion pounds ($42 billion) in UK investments. The "Tech Prosperity Deal" is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain, which will include a day of pomp at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, hosted by King Charles and the royal family. Britain said the pact included joint efforts to develop AI models for healthcare, expand quantum computing capabilities and streamline civil nuclear projects. It added that it would support economic growth, scientific research and energy security in both countries. STARMER UNDER PRESSURE TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deal had the potential to shape the future of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and deliver growth and security. The U.S. is Britain's single largest country trading partner, and its big tech companies have already invested billions of dollars in their UK operations. Starmer, under pressure to reverse years of weak economic growth, now wants to pitch Britain as a destination for further investment by opting for the light touch regulation favoured by the United States in areas such as AI, as opposed to the more interventionist approach of the European Union. The Trump administration has criticised European online safety laws and digital taxes, including those in Britain, but they were not part of the discussions over the pact. US TECH FIRMS INVEST IN THE UK Under the deals announced, chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab said it would deploy 120,000 graphics processing units across Britain - its largest rollout in Europe to date. It is working to deploy up to 60,000 Grace Blackwell Ultra chips with UK-based Nscale, which will partner OpenAI in a UK leg of the U.S. company's giant Stargate project and tie-up with Microsoft to establish Britain's largest AI supercomputer. Microsoft said it would invest 22 billion pounds in total to expand cloud and AI infrastructure as well as in the supercomputer, which will be in Loughton, north-east London. Satya Nadella, chair and CEO of Microsoft, said it wanted to ensure that America remained a trusted and reliable tech partner for Britain. Its president, Brad Smith, said relations had improved hugely since the "dark days" before the UK's antitrust regulator dropped its opposition to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying he felt "enormously better". David Hogan, vice president for enterprise at Nvidia, told reporters the investments would "truly make the UK an AI maker, not an AI taker". Google announced a 5 billion-pound investment, including a new data centre in Waltham Cross, north of London, and continued support for AI research through its DeepMind project. Cloud computing firm CoreWeave (CRWV.O), opens new tab said its 1.5 billion pound backing would fund energy-efficient data centres in partnership with Scottish firm DataVita, bringing its total UK investment to 2.5 billion pounds. Other firms announcing commitments include Salesforce (CRM.N), opens new tab, Scale AI, BlackRock (BLK.N), opens new tab, Oracle (ORCL.N), opens new tab, Amazon Web Services (AMZN.O), opens new tab and AI Pathfinder, with investments ranging from hundreds of millions to several billion pounds. ($1 = 0.7336 pounds) Reporting by Sam Tabahriti and Paul Sandle. Additional reporting by Steve Holland in London and Jeffrey Dastin San Francisco. Editing by Mark Potter Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab * Suggested Topics: * Artificial Intelligence Sam Tabahriti Thomson Reuters Sam Tabahriti is a UK breaking news correspondent covering general and political news for Reuters. He has over five years of experience covering general news and three years covering business and legal news. He is also a keen cyclist and photography enthusiast.

Microsoft announces $30 billion investment in AI infrastructure, operations in UK

LONDON -- Microsoft said on Tuesday that it plans to invest $30 billion in artificial intelligence infrastructure in the U.K. by 2028. The investment includes $15 billion in capital expenditures and $15 billion in its U.K. operations, Microsoft said. The company said the investment would enable it to build the U.K.'s "largest supercomputer," with more than 23,000 advanced graphics processing units, in partnership with Nscale, a British cloud computing firm. The spending commitment comes as President Donald Trump embarks on a state visit to Britain. Trump arrived in the U.K. Tuesday evening and is set to be greeted at Windsor Castle on Wednesday by King Charles and Queen Camilla. During his visit, all eyes are on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is under pressure to bring stability to the country after the exit of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner over a house tax scandal and a major cabinet reshuffle. On a call with reporters on Tuesday, Microsoft President Brad Smith said his stance on the U.K. has warmed over the years. He previously criticized the country over its attempt in 2023 to block the tech giant's $69 billion acquisition of video game developer Activision-Blizzard. The deal was cleared by the U.K.s competition regulator later that year. "I haven't always been optimistic every single day about the business climate in the U.K.," Smith said. However, he added, "I am very encouraged by the steps that the government has taken over the last few years." "Just a few years ago, this kind of investment would have been inconceivable because of the regulatory climate then and because there just wasn't the need or demand for this kind of large AI investment," Smith said. Starmer and Trump are expected to sign a new deal Wednesday "to unlock investment and collaboration in AI, Quantum, and Nuclear technologies," the government said in a statement late Tuesday.

Microsoft will invest $30B in the U.K. by 2028 to fuel AI infrastructure and country's largest supercomputer

Microsoft plans to invest $30 billion in the United Kingdom over the next three years, including $15 billion in capital expenditures for AI infrastructure buildouts. The Redmond tech giant revealed the investment as President Donald Trump visits the U.K. this week. The investment will grow Microsoft's data center footprint in the U.K. and also help build what it calls "the country's largest supercomputer" in partnership with Nscale. It's the latest sign of Microsoft's appetite to expand its cloud and AI capacity. The company said in July that it planned to invest more than $30 billion in capital expenditures in the current quarter, a record high. Microsoft said this is the company's largest-ever commitment to the U.K. It employs 6,000 people in the country. "As AI reshapes industries and unlocks new possibilities, we believe that trusted American technology -- built on principles of security, transparency, and responsibility -- can help empower UK institutions and businesses to lead with confidence," Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post. "And in doing so, we're investing in a partnership that continues to deliver opportunity, innovation and impact in both directions." Smith had criticized U.K. regulators in the past over the company's acquisition of video game behemoth Activision but later softened his stance after the deal was approved. Google also made its own U.K. investment announcement on Tuesday, committing nearly $7 billion over two years.

Microsoft plans $30 billion investment for UK ahead of Trump state visit

Sept 16 (Reuters) - Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab is planning to invest more than $30 billion in its UK operations and artificial intelligence infrastructure over the next four years, the software maker said on Tuesday, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain. In the plan, Microsoft will expand its UK capital expenditures by $15.5 billion and bring 23,000 advanced AI chips to the UK, company President Brad Smith told reporters. The UK business climate has improved in the past few years, Smith said, after the country's antitrust regulator dropped opposition to Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition in 2023. Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

Tech pours money into U.K. AI as Trump visits

Why it matters: The Trump administration wants allies to make American tech the backbone of their AI infrastructure -- and these deals could lock in that path for the U.K. Driving the news: Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday will sign a tech partnership focused on AI and quantum computing, as well as a deal to increase the sources of low-cost electricity needed for AI. * Nvidia's Jensen Huang, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Microsoft's Satya Nadella are joining the president during his state visit, per people familiar. The deals announced include: * Microsoft is investing $30 billion from 2025 through 2028. That includes $15 billion in capital expenditures to build out the U.K.'s cloud and AI infrastructure, as well as plans for the country's largest supercomputer in partnership with Nscale. * Nvidia, OpenAI and Nscale are joining forces for a data center infrastructure project dubbed "Stargate UK." Nvidia is also making investments into quantum computing and upskilling workers in the AI robotics space. * Separately, CoreWeave is investing $2 billion in the U.K., partnering with Nvidia and data center operator DataVita in Scotland to deploy Nvidia's most advanced chips. The bottom line: The White House gets to claim the investments as Trump's AI victories, while these companies are able to make major inroads into the U.K. market. Sign up for Axios AI+ Government, our new Friday newsletter focusing on how governments encourage, regulate and use AI.

Trump to sign US-UK tech partnership in drive for AI

Some of the biggest US technology companies have pledged billions of pounds of investment to turbocharge Britain's artificial intelligence (AI) industry, as the two countries announce a landmark technology deal. Nvidia, Microsoft, Open AI and Google made a flurry of announcements to coincide with President Trump's state visit to the UK. They include plans to build data centres and invest in AI research and engineering. Money latest: Tax warning over state pension Sir Keir Starmer described the agreement, which both leaders will sign over the coming days, as "a generational step change" in Britain's relationship with the US. The deal will see both countries cooperate on AI, quantum computing and nuclear energy, with investment in modular reactors revealed earlier this week. The prime minister said it was "shaping the futures of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and delivering growth, security and opportunity up and down the country". The government said the deal would deliver thousands of jobs, with a new AI Growth Zone in the North East of England earmarked for 5,000 jobs. The region will host a new data centre developed in partnership with ChatGPT developer OpenAI, the US chip giant Nvidia and the British data centre company Nscale. The UK government will supply energy for the project, which will be based in Blyth. Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, who has previously drawn attention to Britain's inadequate levels of digital infrastructure, said: "Today marks a historic chapter in US-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." The Blyth data centre is part of Stargate, Open AI's infrastructure project to build large data centres across the US. The company has also developed sites in Norway and the UAE. Nvidia, which provides the graphic processing chips (GPUs), expects to generate $20bn (£14.6bn) by the end of this year from "sovereign" deals with national governments over the coming years. Sam Altman, OpenAI's chief executive, said: "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 recognised the potential of this technology. "Stargate UK builds on this foundation to help accelerate scientific breakthroughs, improve productivity, and drive economic growth." Microsoft also pledged £22bn, its largest ever investment in the UK, to expand data centres and construct the country's largest AI supercomputer. Meanwhile, Google owner Alphabet pledged £5bn to expand its data centres in Hertfordshire and fund its London-based subsidiary DeepMind, which uses AI to power cutting edge scientific research. The company was founded in Britain and acquired by Google in 2014. Other investments include, £1.5bn from AI cloud computing company CoreWeave and £1.4bn from Salesforce.

UK and US Agree $42 Billion Tech Pact to Mark Trump's Visit

By Paul Sandle and Sam Tabahriti LONDON (Reuters) -Britain and the United States have agreed a technology pact to boost ties in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy, with top U.S. firms led by Microsoft pledging 31 billion pounds ($42 billion) in UK investments. The "Tech Prosperity Deal" is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain, which will include a day of pomp at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, hosted by King Charles and the royal family. Britain said the pact included joint efforts to develop AI models for healthcare, expand quantum computing capabilities and streamline civil nuclear projects. It added that it would support economic growth, scientific research and energy security in both countries. STARMER UNDER PRESSURE TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deal had the potential to shape the future of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and deliver growth and security. The U.S. is Britain's single largest country trading partner, and its big tech companies have already invested billions of dollars in their UK operations. Starmer, under pressure to reverse years of weak economic growth, now wants to pitch Britain as a destination for further investment by opting for the light touch regulation favoured by the United States in areas such as AI, as opposed to the more interventionist approach of the European Union. The Trump administration has criticised European online safety laws and digital taxes, including those in Britain, but they were not part of the discussions over the pact. US TECH FIRMS INVEST IN THE UK Under the deals announced, chipmaker Nvidia said it would deploy 120,000 graphics processing units across Britain - its largest rollout in Europe to date. It is working to deploy up to 60,000 Grace Blackwell Ultra chips with UK-based Nscale, which will partner OpenAI in a UK leg of the U.S. company's giant Stargate project and tie-up with Microsoft to establish Britain's largest AI supercomputer. Microsoft said it would invest 22 billion pounds in total to expand cloud and AI infrastructure as well as in the supercomputer, which will be in Loughton, north-east London. Satya Nadella, chair and CEO of Microsoft, said it wanted to ensure that America remained a trusted and reliable tech partner for Britain. Its president, Brad Smith, said relations had improved hugely since the "dark days" before the UK's antitrust regulator dropped its opposition to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying he felt "enormously better". David Hogan, vice president for enterprise at Nvidia, told reporters the investments would "truly make the UK an AI maker, not an AI taker". Google announced a 5 billion-pound investment, including a new data centre in Waltham Cross, north of London, and continued support for AI research through its DeepMind project. Cloud computing firm CoreWeave said its 1.5 billion pound backing would fund energy-efficient data centres in partnership with Scottish firm DataVita, bringing its total UK investment to 2.5 billion pounds. Other firms announcing commitments include Salesforce, Scale AI, BlackRock, Oracle, Amazon Web Services and AI Pathfinder, with investments ranging from hundreds of millions to several billion pounds. ($1 = 0.7336 pounds) (Reporting by Sam Tabahriti and Paul Sandle. Additional reporting by Steve Holland in London and Jeffrey Dastin San Francisco. Editing by Mark Potter)

UK and US agree $42 billion tech pact to mark Trump's visit - The Korea Times

LONDON -- Britain and the United States have agreed a technology pact to boost ties in AI, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy, with top U.S. firms led by Microsoft pledging 31 billion pounds ($42 billion) in U.K. investments. The "Tech Prosperity Deal" is part of U.S. President Donald Trump's second state visit to Britain, which will include a day of pomp at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, hosted by King Charles and the royal family. Britain said the pact included joint efforts to develop AI models for healthcare, expand quantum computing capabilities and streamline civil nuclear projects. It added that it would support economic growth, scientific research and energy security in both countries. Starmer under pressure to boost economic growth British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the deal had the potential to shape the future of millions of people on both sides of the Atlantic, and deliver growth and security. The U.S. is Britain's single largest country trading partner, and its big tech companies have already invested billions of dollars in their U.K. operations. Starmer, under pressure to reverse years of weak economic growth, now wants to pitch Britain as a destination for further investment by opting for the light touch regulation favoured by the United States in areas such as AI, as opposed to the more interventionist approach of the European Union. The Trump administration has criticised European online safety laws and digital taxes, including those in Britain, but they were not part of the discussions over the pact. U.S. tech firms invest in the U.K. Under the deals announced, chipmaker Nvidia said it would deploy 120,000 graphics processing units across Britain -- its largest rollout in Europe to date. It is working to deploy up to 60,000 Grace Blackwell Ultra chips with U.K.-based Nscale, which will partner OpenAI in a UK leg of the U.S. company's giant Stargate project and tie-up with Microsoft to establish Britain's largest AI supercomputer. Microsoft said it would invest 22 billion pounds in total to expand cloud and AI infrastructure as well as in the supercomputer, which will be in Loughton, north-east London. Satya Nadella, chair and CEO of Microsoft, said it wanted to ensure that America remained a trusted and reliable tech partner for Britain. Its president, Brad Smith, said relations had improved hugely since the "dark days" before the U.K.'s antitrust regulator dropped its opposition to Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, saying he felt "enormously better". David Hogan, vice president for enterprise at Nvidia, told reporters the investments would "truly make the U.K. an AI maker, not an AI taker." Google announced a 5 billion-pound investment, including a new data centre in Waltham Cross, north of London, and continued support for AI research through its DeepMind project. Cloud computing firm CoreWeave said its 1.5 billion pound backing would fund energy-efficient data centres in partnership with Scottish firm DataVita, bringing its total U.K. investment to 2.5 billion pounds. Other firms announcing commitments include Salesforce, Scale AI, BlackRock, Oracle, Amazon Web Services and AI Pathfinder, with investments ranging from hundreds of millions to several billion pounds. ($1 = 0.7336 pounds)

U.S. Tech Giants Pledge Over $40 Billion in U.K. Investments Ahead of Trump Visit -- Update

Major American tech companies said they would spend more than $40 billion to expand artificial-intelligence infrastructure in the U.K., a boost for the island nation as it prepares to welcome President Trump for a state visit. Microsoft said Tuesday that it would pour $30 billion into AI infrastructure and existing operations in the U.K. through 2028, its largest financial commitment in the country. Microsoft's pledge comes hours after Alphabet-unit Google said it would spend about $6.8 billion in AI, research and development and related engineering in the U.K. over the next two years. Meanwhile, Nvidia, OpenAI and British company Nscale are joining forces to set up AI infrastructure to satisfy OpenAI's power needs in the U.K. Dubbed Stargate U.K., the project is expected to be based in the North East, leveraging tens of thousands of Nvidia's Grace Blackwell Ultra graphics processing units. "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," Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang said. Among other investments, AI cloud-computing company CoreWeave plans to spend 1.5 billion pounds ($2.04 billion) in AI data-center capacity and operations in the U.K. Salesforce announced an additional $2 billion investment in its U.K. business through 2030, while BlackRock is pouring 500 million pounds into data centers across the country. The string of announcements came as King Charles III prepares to welcome Trump on Wednesday for a state visit. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also due in London, where he is expected to engage with British government officials and the private sector. Britain has, for now, secured an early tariff deal that is lower than the levies outlined for most other countries. The U.K. government said Tuesday that Washington and London had struck a partnership aimed at developing fast-growing technologies such as AI, quantum and nuclear. Dubbed the Tech Prosperity Deal, the pact is expected to improve transatlantic AI research in fields like precision medicine, chronic diseases and even space exploration. London said the two countries would set up a taskforce to research quantum technology, which is significantly faster than tech powering traditional computers, and potentially deploy it in areas like healthcare and defense. The partnership will also make it faster for companies to build nuclear power stations, reducing the timeframes to obtain licenses. U.K. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the deal was a vote of confidence in Britain's AI sector as Europe plays catchup with the U.S. on the technology. OpenAI's release of ChatGPT in 2022 ushered in a spending bonanza, but Europe has been left largely behind. Earlier this year, Washington announced the Stargate AI venture to build data centers in the U.S. for OpenAI. The ChatGPT maker, SoftBank Group, Oracle and UAE firm MGX are the equity funders in Stargate, for which they had committed $100 billion initially, far more than investments seen in Europe. News Corp, owner of Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal, has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI.

Microsoft Will Invest $30 Billion in AI Infrastructure, Operations Across U.K.

By Mauro Orru and Connor Hart Microsoft will spend $30 billion on artificial-intelligence infrastructure and existing operations in the U.K. through 2028, the largest financial commitment the tech giant has made in the island nation. The investment comes shortly after Alphabet's Google pledged to invest nearly $7 billion in the U.K. over the next two years, and as the country prepares to welcome President Trump for a state visit. Microsoft said Tuesday that its investment includes a $15 billion capital expenditure to build out the U.K.'s cloud and AI infrastructure, enabling the company to build the country's largest supercomputer in partnership with Nscale. The company added its investments will help meet growing customer demand, while simultaneously strengthening economic ties between the U.K. and U.S. "Microsoft's landmark investment is a powerful vote of confidence in U.K.'s leadership in AI and cutting-edge technology," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, adding it will support thousands of jobs and allow the country to remain at the forefront of global innovation. The disclosure came as King Charles III prepares to welcome President Trump on Wednesday for a state visit. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also due in London, where he is expected to engage with British government officials and the private sector. Britain has for now secured an early tariff deal that is lower than the levies outlined for most other countries. The U.K. government said Tuesday that Washington and London had struck a partnership aimed at developing fast-growing technologies like AI, quantum and nuclear. Dubbed the Tech Prosperity Deal, the pact is expected to improve transatlantic AI research in fields like precision medicine, chronic diseases and even space exploration. Write to Mauro Orru at [email protected] and Connor Hart at [email protected]