By Editor,Harvey Dorset
Copyright dailymail
Google has announced it will invest £5billion into the UK over the next two years, as it looks to meet demand for its artificial intelligence services. The move comes as a boost to the UK Government as Google opens a new data centre in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire.
Tech giants OpenAI, the parent firm of ChatGPT, and Nvidia are also reportedly set to announce billions of dollars’ of investment into UK data centres as US President Donald Trump arrives for a state visit on Wednesday. Opening the Waltham Cross data centre, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the investment is a ‘vote of confidence’ in the UK economy, with Google expected plough its investment into capital expenditure, research and development and engineering.
This will include ‘pioneering’ AI research in science and healthcare using Google’s DeepMind research laboratory. Reeves said: ‘Google’s £5billionn investment is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK economy and the strength of our partnership with the US, creating jobs and economic growth for years to come.
‘This government is reversing decades of underinvestment that has held us back for too long, by slashing burdensome red tape, delivering bold reforms of the planning system and investing in better tech to unlock better jobs and opportunities. ‘Through our Plan for Change we are building an economy that works for, and rewards, working people.’
The tech giant said the investment will contribute to the creation of thousands of jobs in the UK, estimating 8,250 job creations annually at UK businesses. It says 250 companies, many local to Waltham Cross, worked on the building of tis new data centre.
Ruth Porat, Google’s chief investment officer, said Britain’s potential with AI could add £400billion to the economy by 2030. Google says it has trained one million British people with skills to support AI adoption over the past decade.
Porat said: ‘Google’s investment in technical infrastructure, expanded energy capacity and job-ready AI skills will help ensure everyone in Broxbourne and across the whole of the UK stays at the cutting-edge of global tech opportunities.’ Demis Hassabis, co-founder and chief executive of Google DeepMind, said: ‘We founded DeepMind in London because we knew the UK had the potential and talent to be a global hub for pioneering AI.’
The UK has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology – from Lovelace to Babbage to Turing – so it’s fitting that we’re continuing that legacy by investing in the next wave of innovation and scientific discovery in the UK .
