By D. Maan, Jadetimes News
Labour Government Axes £1.3bn Tech and AI Funding Promised by Conservatives
This is on the back of the new Labour administration axing £1.3 billion of funding promised under the previous Conservative government to support technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects, including the £800 million project for the construction of an exascale supercomputer at Edinburgh University and £500 million for the AI Research Resource, which funds computing power for use in AI. Less than a year ago, these were funds that had been announced.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the cash had been committed by the previous administration but never actually budgeted for. "The government is taking difficult and necessary spending decisions across all departments in the face of billions of pounds of unfunded commitments," said DSIT in a statement. "This is essential to restore economic stability and deliver our national mission for growth." The department said that in spite of these cutbacks, it remained committed to building the technology infrastructure in the UK.
Trade body techUK reacted with concern and called for the government to bring forward new proposals without delay. It said there was a real danger of the UK falling behind other countries in these two key future industries. Sue Daley, techUK's director of technology and innovation, said: "Investment in large-scale computing is essential if the UK is is to make scientific breakthroughs and drive economic growth.".
The Conservative party criticized the Labour government, citing that under their leadership, DSIT had actually underspent. Shadow Secretary Andrew Griffith said, "Our commitment in government to science, research, and innovation, including UK leadership on AI, was outstanding."
The future of the Edinburgh exascale supercomputer, a priority project for the previous government, now looks in doubt. This supercomputer would have been 50 times quicker than any computers currently working in the UK and had been hailed to have the potential to aid research in AI, drug discovery, climate change, astrophysics, and advanced engineering. Already, Edinburgh University had invested £31 million in preparation for the supercomputer.
As the government revisits funding for technology, DSIT has announced that Matt Clifford, one of the organizers behind the first AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in November 2023, is due to deliver an action plan that will identify new "AI opportunities," including infrastructure.
It has been said that the tech industry is a core driver of the economy of the UK, with an estimated worth of $1.1 trillion (£863 billion) in Q1 2024 alone by a recent report from Tech Nation. Given Labour's commitment to moving economic growth to the top of its agenda, the tech sector must be central to achieving that ambition. Therefore, such cuts by the government cast a big question mark over the UK's ability to compete with the global tech environment.
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