LONDON: Microsoft has announced a $30 billion investment plan for the United Kingdom over the next four years, with half dedicated to cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
This commitment represents the largest single pledge among several US tech investments totalling $42 billion, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s historic second state visit to the UK.
The UK and US governments have also agreed to cooperate on nuclear and space technology through the newly announced “Tech Prosperity Deal”.
Microsoft described this investment as its “largest financial commitment” ever made in the United Kingdom.
“We’re committed to creating new opportunity for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,“ Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella stated in a social media post.
“That’s why today we announced a $30 billion investment in the UK over four years, including building the country’s largest supercomputer.”
Microsoft currently employs 6,000 people in the UK through its data centres, AI research facilities, and video game studios.
Another significant development involves British firm Nscale partnering with OpenAI and Nvidia to establish a UK version of the Stargate AI infrastructure initiative.
The Stargate project, unveiled in January, aims to invest $500 billion in US AI infrastructure by 2029 with additional international projects planned for the United Arab Emirates and Norway.
Nvidia has pledged to deploy 120,000 advanced GPU chips across the UK in collaboration with local firms.
President Trump will be accompanied by several US tech CEOs during his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the prime minister’s country residence on Thursday.
These substantial tech investments proceed despite the Trump administration’s objections to Britain’s digital services tax.
Trump has threatened new tariffs on companies he accuses of unfairly targeting US tech firms.
According to Stanford University’s 2025 AI Index report, Britain ranks highly for private AI investments over the past decade though it trails significantly behind China and the United States.
Google separately announced a £5 billion ($6.8 billion) investment in the UK over the next two years to support the country’s AI development.
Britain and the US will also sign an agreement to accelerate development of new nuclear power projects.
This partnership promises faster regulatory approval and several new private-sector investment deals for nuclear projects as the UK works toward net-zero carbon emissions and energy security targets. – AFP