The British AI sector will work more closely with Europe as part of a new collaborative scheme to give research teams in the UK access to international compute power.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has invited organisations to apply to host the AI Factory Antenna, a facility that would link researchers to advanced supercomputers across Europe.
Modern AI technologies come with intense computing power demands that are only expected to increase as the UK turns increasingly to automation.
In an effort to address the rising demand, the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan – DSIT’s flagship strategy for the technology released in January – noted a three-pronged approach to increase the country’s access to compute.
The smallest component will come from state-owned compute facilities, with the bulk of power coming from privately owned sites hosted domestically and through international collaborative projects.
“Supercomputers are the turbo-chargers of discovery. By strengthening our partnership with Europe, we are giving British innovators the compute power to solve climate and health challenges and grow the economy,” said Minister for AI and Digital Government Feryal Clark.
“This is about more than faster processing – it’s about putting the UK at the forefront of global AI. With access to some of Europe’s most advanced systems, our researchers and startups will be equipped to lead on cutting-edge breakthroughs and strengthen Britain’s role as a trusted partner in international AI development.”
The announcement follows a new trade agreement made between the UK and European Union earlier this month.
As part of the closer ties, the UK has joined the €5m (£4.2m) EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which pools resources from participating countries to develop European computing infrastructure.
The post UK forms closer ties with European AI sector with new compute deal appeared first on UKTN.
