Microsoft has pledged its biggest ever investment in the UK with $30 billion (£22 billion) committed over the next four years.
Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chair & president said half the money would be dedicated to capital expenditure on the UK’s cloud and AI infrastructure.
It will include building the country’s largest supercomputer — with more than 23,000 NVIDIA GPUs — in partnership with Nscale.
The announcement is the latest in a series timed to coincide with President Trump’s second state visit to the UK.
Yesterday Google opened its data centre in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, as part of a two-year £5 billion investment in the UK.
Today Smith said:”The relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States has long been more than a matter of diplomacy — it’s a friendship rooted in shared ideals and mutual ambition. Across generations, our countries have stood shoulder to shoulder — economically, politically, and in a shared pursuit of innovation. From the Atlantic Charter to the digital age, the UK and the US have pursued the power of partnership.
“Today, this alliance enters another new chapter, as we work together to expand access to trusted American technology and strengthen the infrastructure that will drive economic growth and technological advancement in the AI era.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:“Microsoft’s landmark investment is a powerful vote of confidence in UK’s leadership in AI and cutting-edge technology.
“This commitment will not only strengthen our digital infrastructure and support thousands of highly skilled jobs, but also ensure Britain remains at the forefront of global innovation as we deliver on our Plan for Change.
“We are proud to partner with world-leading companies like Microsoft to build a future powered by British ingenuity and ambition.”
Microsoft said the capital investment “will also expand our datacenter footprint to meet growing AI demand and adoption from customers across every sector in the UK — from Barclays, the NHS, the London Stock Exchange Group, the Premier League, Vodafone, UK Met Office, Unilever, and Wayve – customers that are rapidly embracing AI to transform their businesses.
“Vodafone has expanded Microsoft Copilot to 68,000 employees worldwide after seeing productivity gains of four hours per week during its pilot. Barclays is rolling out Copilot to 100,000 colleagues and integrating it into its own tools to unlock insights and efficiency, while developers at the London Stock Exchange Group are using GitHub Copilot and Windows 365 to dramatically accelerate secure, trusted application development.”
The other half of the investment will go to supporting Microsoft’s ongoing operations across the UK, where it employs 6,000 people.
