LONDON: President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK has already delivered pledges from US tech giants to invest a combined $42 billion to help drive Britain’s AI sector.
The UK and US governments meanwhile agreed co-operation over nuclear and space technology as part of a “Tech Prosperity Deal.”
Below is a list of the main deals, led by Microsoft, outlined in a joint statement issued by the UK government and companies.
Microsoft
The company’s “largest ever commitment to the UK” comprises a $30-billion investment over four years, half of which will be spent on cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
It includes plans to build Britain’s largest supercomputer.
“We’re committed to creating new opportunity for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic, and to ensuring America remains a trusted and reliable tech partner for the United Kingdom,” said Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.
“That is why we are doubling down on our investment in the UK.”
Google
The search engine giant plans UK investment of £5 billion ($6.8 billion) over the next two years to power its AI drive, help “fortify cybersecurity” and create 8,250 jobs annually.
Nvidia, Stargate UK
British firm Nscale has partnered with Chat-GPT maker OpenAI and chip giant Nvidia to establish a UK version of Stargate — a large-scale AI infrastructure initiative.
The government said the project is aimed at “developing a platform designed to deploy OpenAI’s technology on sovereign infrastructure in the UK.”
Working alongside UK firms, Nvidia pledged to deploy a total 120,000 advanced GPU chips across the country, representing its biggest ever rollout in Europe.
Finance firms
Bank of America, BlackRock, Citi Group, PayPal and S&P Global are together investing around £1.75 billion to grow their UK operations.
Nuclear
Britain and the United States plan to speed up development of new nuclear power projects.
“This golden age of nuclear is central to the government’s mission to build more clean homegrown power to ensure energy security,” the UK government said.
Government partnerships
The two countries plan to “drive AI-powered health care solutions in areas such as precision medicine and chronic disease.”
The UK and US also plan to partner over “revolutionary quantum computers and speed up the deployment of this technology across areas like health care, defense and finance.”
NASA and the UK Space Agency intend to develop AI models to support science and exploration missions.
US tech deals alongside Trump’s UK visit
https://arab.news/z75v8
US tech deals alongside Trump’s UK visit
- UK and US governments also agreed co-operation over nuclear and space technology as part of a ‘Tech Prosperity Deal’
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Senator Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television,” adding: "This is dangerous… because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists… I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, [is] step forward and say, ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
Graham's remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsay Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
