UK Tech Secretary to bang the drum for closer AI partnership with the US
Source: gov.uk (2025-03-20)

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle will set out Britain’s credentials as the global hub for AI investment on a visit to the United States this week (18th-25th March).

UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle will set out Britain’s credentials as the global hub for AI investment during his visit to the United States this week (18 to 25 March), highlighting how both countries can evolve their special relationship in the age of AI as the UK government puts the technology at the heart of its Plan for Change (https://www.gov.uk/missions).

Speaking at Nvidia’s annual conference in San Jose (20th March), Peter Kyle will outline how the government is “rewiring” Britain’s economy to run on AI, paving the way for communities across the country to seize on the transformative opportunities presented by the technology and moving wealth creation away from just Silicon Valley and London.

Addressing business leaders, developers and innovators, the Technology Secretary will lay out his vision for how AI and advanced technologies are being put to work to help solve some of our most complex shared challenges, as Britain becomes a by-word for innovation.

The technology is already being harnessed in the UK to improve public services and spark fresh economic growth – a central pillar of the government’s Plan for Change. Peter Kyle will now outline how the UK’s AI sector - valued at over $92 billion and projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2035 - will position Britain as the second leading AI nation in the democratic world, with a wealth of investment opportunities now being opened to US companies and financial backers alike.

Central to his message will be Britain’s readiness for AI investment, with a particular focus on how ‘the relics of economic eras past will be transformed into the UK’s innovative AI Growth Zones’.

A key component of the AI Opportunities Action Plan (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-opportunities-action-plan/ai-opportunities-action-plan), these are strategically designated areas designed to rapidly attract large-scale AI investment through streamlined regulations and dedicated infrastructure.

These hotbeds of AI development represent a pipeline of new opportunities for companies to scale up and innovate, with the Technology Secretary to call for investors to step forward and participate in a new kind of partnership.

Speaking at Nvidia’s annual conference, the Technology Secretary is expected to set out how these Growth Zones, with access to large power connections, and a planning system designed to cut the time it takes to start up construction, will help to build a compute infrastructure which the UK ‘has never seen before’.

The government has already received hundreds of proposals from local leaders nationwide and industry, underscoring Britain’s readiness to leverage artificial intelligence to rejuvenate communities and drive economic growth across the country.

This will drive higher living standards across the UK - a primary focus for the government over the next four years - with AI Growth Zones poised to deliver the jobs, investment, and the thriving business environment which will put more money in people’s pockets and realise its Plan for Change.

At the Nvidia conference, the Technology Secretary is expected to say:

In empty factories and abandoned mines, in derelict sites and unused power supplies, I see the places where we can begin to build a new economic model.

A model completely rewired around the immense power of artificial intelligence.

Where, faced with that power, the state is neither a blocker nor a shirker - but an agile, proactive partner.

In Britain, we want to turn the relics of economic eras past into AI Growth Zones.

As part of the visit, Peter Kyle will also meet with key companies in the US tech sector including Open AI, Anthropic, Nvidia, and Vantage – banging the drum for more companies to set up shop in the UK as their Silicon Valley home from home.

Additionally, the Technology Secretary is expected to say:

There is a real hunger for investment in Britain, and people who are optimistic about the future, and hopeful for the opportunities which AI will bring for them and their families.

States owe it to their citizens to support it. Not through diktat or directive, but through partnership.

The Prime Minister and the President of the United States have placed AI at the heart of the trans-Atlantic relationship. Visiting the White House last month, the Prime Minister confirmed both nations are setting to work on a new economic deal which will put advanced technologies at its heart.

Since laying out its new vision for AI at the start of the year and giving the technology a frontline role in delivering the government’s Plan for Change, the UK has already seen a wealth of backing from American investors who are looking to set up a home from home on British shores.

Major recent investments include a £12 billion commitment from Vantage Data Centers to significantly expand Britain’s data infrastructure, creating approximately 11,500 jobs. Last month, the UK Government also formalised a partnership with Anthropic to enhance collaboration on leveraging AI to improve public services nationwide.

By deepening these partnerships with leading US tech firms and investors, the UK’s AI sector is poised for sustained growth as it continues removing barriers to innovation.