UK launches Sovereign AI and £1.1bn AI hardware plan

Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, announced expanded UK AI industrial policy at London Tech Week, including Sovereign AI (SovAI) details and a new AI Hardware Plan.

• Main announcement: SovAI (launched in April) will invest £500m in British AI companies to start up, scale up and win globally; the government is also mobilising fully funded access to the UK’s largest super computers, super-priority visa decisions and free visas for R&D, and working with the British Business Bank (which runs a £2bn annual investment programme) to back companies. The government also published an AI Hardware Plan that