In brief
Google's parent company, Alphabet, has unveiled a substantial £5 billion investment in UK artificial intelligence, set to enhance infrastructure and research over the next two years. This announcement comes as US President Donald Trump prepares for a state visit, signaling a strengthened US-UK partnership in technology. The investment includes the opening of a new data center and funding for London's AI firm, DeepMind, indicating the potential for economic growth and innovation in scientific fields.
The world's fourth-biggest company, Google owner Alphabet, has announced a £5bn ($6.8bn) investment in UK artificial intelligence (AI).
The money will be used for infrastructure and scientific research over the next two years - the first of several massive US investments being unveiled ahead of US President Donald Trump's state visit.
Google's president and chief investment officer Ruth Porat told BBC News in an exclusive interview that there were profound opportunities in the UK for its pioneering work in advanced science.
The company will officially open a $1bn (£735m) data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Tuesday.
The investment will expand this site and also include funding for London-based DeepMind, run by British Nobel Prize winner Sir Demis Hassabis, which deploys AI to revolutionize advanced scientific research.
Ms. Porat noted that there is now a US-UK special technology relationship... there are downside risks that we need to work on together to mitigate, but there's also tremendous opportunity in economic growth, in social services, advancing science.
She pointed out that the government's AI Opportunities Action Plan is helping the investment, but added that there's still work to be done to land that, stressing that capturing the upside of the AI boom was not a foregone conclusion.
The US administration had previously pushed the UK to dilute its Digital Services Tax on companies, including Google, but this may not be a topic addressed in the forthcoming discussions.
Further multi-billion-dollar investments from US giants are anticipated over the next 24 hours.
The pound has strengthened, analysts suggest, partly due to expectations of interest rate changes and a surge of US investments.
On Monday, Alphabet became the fourth company to exceed $3 trillion in total stock market value, alongside other tech behemoths like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has successfully reoriented the company as an AI First business according to Ms. Porat, a strategic pivot that has seen the company's share price rise significantly in the past month.
Despite facing skepticism around its environmental impact, Ms. Porat assured that the new facility would utilize air-cooling instead of water-cooling, capturing excess heat for use in local schools and homes.
Furthermore, Google has secured a partnership with Shell to deliver 95% carbon-free energy for its UK operations, amid contrasts with recent US suggestions to rely more on carbon-intensive energy for AI data centers.
Addressing concerns surrounding potential job losses due to AI advancement, Ms. Porat emphasized the creation of new industries and job opportunities, encouraging individuals to engage with AI as a collaborative tool rather than viewing it as a threat.
