Britain has AI talent, but what about the compute?

Grant Shapps and James Marks argue that Britain’s AI ambitions depend on firms being able to access computing power at affordable, fair prices. They say shortages and opaque pricing risk pushing start-ups overseas, taking jobs, tax revenue and expertise with them, while increasing Britain’s reliance on foreign providers.

The government’s new Data Centre Covenant offers priority grid access to developers investing in jobs and communities, alongside £500m for AI safety and security and £140m for British AI companies. But more than 70GW of data centre projects are waiting for grid connections, while about 5GW is expected to connect by 2030; Microsoft also abandoned a planned Essex centre after failing to secure power in time. The authors call for the industry to share the benefits and costs of AI infrastructure, including support for host communities, workers, young people’s computing education and independent research into AI’s environmental impact.