Some of the world’s most influential technology leaders joined President Trump on his state visit to the UK, where King Charles hosted a Windsor Castle banquet attended by Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. The showcase coincided with a £31 billion “tech prosperity deal” tied to a wider £150 billion wave of US investment, underscoring the rising role of private tech companies in geopolitics and the global race in Artificial Intelligence. The trio’s presence, representing firms worth about £7 trillion combined, was described as an unprecedented addition to a US state visit in Britain.
Investment headlines arrived in lockstep with the visit. Microsoft announced £22 billion for the UK’s Artificial Intelligence sector, while Nvidia pledged £11 billion for what it called the largest Artificial Intelligence infrastructure rollout in UK history. Nvidia, OpenAI and Nscale are also bringing the Stargate project to the UK to develop localized computing capacity. Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said the real test is whether Artificial Intelligence translates into GDP growth. Yet the momentum prompted scrutiny at home: critics warned such pledges could be aimed at softening regulation, as the UK weighs an Artificial Intelligence Bill and maintains a 2 per cent Digital Service Tax on large online platforms. The UK’s Artificial Intelligence minister Kanishka Narayan said no regulatory promises were made as part of the deal.
Diplomatic pageantry blended with dealmaking. Sir Keir Starmer sat alongside Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, whose firm plans to invest £90 billion in the UK over the next decade. Former Meta executive Nick Clegg dismissed the announcements as “sloppy seconds from Silicon Valley,” arguing the infrastructure is primarily needed by the companies themselves and suggesting the timing suited the state visit. Industry group TechUK welcomed the expertise and capital but cautioned that foreign involvement must complement rather than overshadow British businesses. The government has said Britain intends to lead in Artificial Intelligence, and officials framed the £31 billion announcement as a positive step for transatlantic tech ties following the exit of Lord Peter Mandelson, a key champion of the partnership.
The UK sees Artificial Intelligence as both an economic and strategic priority, though it trails the US and China. The Department for Business and Trade valued the UK’s Artificial Intelligence market at £72.3 billion last year, the largest in Europe but far behind the US at an estimated £171 billion. Delivering growth will require significant compute and energy. TechUK calls data centres the backbone of the digital economy, with 484 sites already supporting about 43,500 UK jobs and potentially adding 58,000 by 2035. Google opened a new data centre in Waltham Cross and pledged £5 billion over two years to meet UK Artificial Intelligence demand, while billions more from Microsoft, OpenAI, Nvidia and others will carry major power needs as the government touts a boost to nuclear energy and a new US partnership. Oxford researcher Scott Singer said close ties give UK experts early access to companies’ newest models for security testing, but warned Britain faces a difficult balancing act between nurturing homegrown capability and relying on overseas heavyweights.
