The The UK Report has discovered that the new Labour government has postponed £1.3bn in funding for tech and Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects that was previously promised by the Conservatives.
This comprises £800m for developing an exascale supercomputer at Edinburgh University and an additional £500m for AI Research Resource, which supports AI with computing power.
Both funds were revealed in less than a year.
The Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) stated that the previous administration had promised the funds, but they were not included in its budget.
There have been critics within the industry regarding the government’s decision.
Barney Hussey-Yeo, founder of a tech company, warned on X, an external platform, that decreasing investment could result in more entrepreneurs being drawn to the US. Entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl labeled the decision as “idiotic.”
TechUK, a trade organization, stated that the government must swiftly introduce “fresh proposals” or the UK could fall behind other nations in important future industries.
DSIT has justified its actions.
It was stated in a statement that the government is making tough and essential spending choices in light of numerous unfunded financial obligations totaling billions of pounds.
This is crucial in order to bring back economic stability and achieve our national goal for growth.
It reiterated its unwavering commitment to developing technology infrastructure in the UK.
Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State, has informed those impacted.
The Conservatives argue that DSIT had not spent enough under its leadership.
Shadow secretary Andrew Griffith stated that ministers had received advice from officials indicating that the department was expected to spend less than its budget for the fiscal year when the election was announced.
“Our dedication in government to science, research, and innovation, including the UK’s leading role in AI, was exceptional.”
Massive computational capabilities
The fate of the Edinburgh exascale supercomputer remains uncertain at present.
The Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, is reportedly seeking an urgent meeting with Mr Kyle, according to BBC News.
A limited quantity of extremely powerful machines exist globally, with a previous model located in Bristol.
Last year in October, Edinburgh University announced the new funding and had already used £31m to construct housing for it.
The previous government viewed it as a project of utmost importance.
At that time, the university stated that the machine would have exceeded the speed of any existing computers in the UK by 50 times.
On its website, it states that Exascale will assist researchers in simulating various aspects of the world, verifying scientific hypotheses, and enhancing products and services in fields like artificial intelligence, drug development, climate change, astrophysics, and advanced engineering.
The university’s representative informed the BBC that they have been at the forefront of supercomputing in the UK for many years.
They further stated their readiness to collaborate with the government to advance this technology in the UK, aiming to maximize its benefits for industry, public services, and society.
Angus Robertson MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for the constitution, external affairs, and culture in the Scottish government, just stated that the progress was “unfortunate”.
Ministers now need to devise a new strategy ahead, according to Sue Daley, techUK’s director of technology and innovation.
She informed BBC News that having big computers is crucial for scientific advancements that will boost our economy and enhance our quality of life.
The UK has communicated its desire to host advanced computers for leading research, like in AI.
In a highly competitive worldwide context, the government must promptly introduce new proposals. If not, we will be defeated by our competitors.
DSIT recently revealed that Matt Clifford, a key figure in organizing the first AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in November 2023, has been tasked with creating a plan to discover fresh “AI opportunities”, such as infrastructure.
The UK economy values the tech sector as an important component crucial for the economic growth Labour has promised to focus on.
Tech Nation recently stated that its market value reached $1.1 trillion (£863bn) in the first quarter of 2024 in a recent report.
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