UK Compute Roadmap

Monday 21st July 2025 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Peter Kyle)]

I wish to inform the House of the publication of the “UK Compute Roadmap”, which has been laid before Parliament. The road map follows on from the AI opportunities action plan that was published earlier this year which set out this Government’s vision to harness AI to deliver our plan for change—reshaping every sector of our economy and society, from accelerating NHS diagnoses to strengthening our defence and security.

AI—and the computing power that underpins it—will play a crucial role in driving innovation, productivity and growth. The road map puts forward our long-term approach to delivering the compute infrastructure that will underpin future scientific breakthroughs, industrial competitiveness, and public service delivery. It builds on the UK’s long-standing strengths in research and innovation, our world-class talent and our position as the third largest AI market in the world. We will take bold action in four areas to deliver on this plan:

We will build a modern public compute ecosystem—by investing up to £2 billion to expand the AI Research Resource, delivering a new national supercomputer in Edinburgh and establishing national supercomputing centres, of which Edinburgh will be the first.

We will put compute to use—by introducing a new allocation model that is guided by our national priorities and supporting the most impactful and transformative AI projects, including dedicated access for the new Sovereign AI Unit and the AI Security Institute.

We will facilitate the build-out of cutting-edge AI infra-structure—by delivering AI growth zones across the UK that deliver both national and local benefits.

We will create sovereign, secure and sustainable capabilities—by leveraging AIRR and AIGZs to support domestic suppliers across the AI hardware stack and committing to make compute an opportunity area within sovereign AI.

The road map will ensure that the next great breakthroughs in AI, science and technology come from the UK. Our plan is both ambitious and agile and as the pace of innovation accelerates, we will remain responsive and adapt to seize emerging opportunities. The compute road map positions the UK to shape global markets, attract significant investment, and to deliver transformational outcomes for citizens across the entire country.

Work to deliver this plan is already under way, with the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputer launching last week in Bristol. We will now take this road map forward at pace, building on the momentum already in place and working with people, researchers and businesses across all parts of the UK to unlock the full potential of AI.

[HCWS857]