Government shelves £1.3B UK tech and AI plans

The UK government has decided to shelve £1.3 billion in funding for technology and artificial intelligence projects that were promised by the previous Conservative administration. This includes £800 million earmarked for an exascale supercomputer at Edinburgh University and £500 million for an AI Research Resource intended to support computing power for AI initiatives. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) stated that the funds were never allocated in the budget and emphasized the need for difficult spending decisions to restore economic stability. The Conservatives countered that the department had underspent its budget during their tenure. The future of the Edinburgh supercomputer, which was expected to be significantly faster than existing UK computers, is now uncertain, especially since the university had already invested £31 million in its infrastructure. The project was seen as a priority by the previous government, with potential applications in various fields including drug discovery and climate change. DSIT has expressed its commitment to building technology infrastructure in the UK, while also announcing that Matt Clifford will develop an action plan to identify new AI opportunities. The tech sector is recognized as a vital component of the UK economy, with a market value of approximately $1.1 trillion as of early 2024.