Ministare for AI and Online Safety (): Today I am updating the
House on a number of developments: the designation of Lanarkshire
as the UK's newest AI Growth Zone, the establishment of the AI
and the Future of Work Programme, the expansion of the AI
upskilling programme, and progress on delivery of the AI
Opportunities Action plan, one year on from its publication.
Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone
The Government is today designating Lanarkshire as the latest AI
Growth Zone, marking a major step in our Modern Industrial
Strategy and strengthening Scotland's position in the UK's
growing AI economy.
The Lanarkshire site will be delivered by UK company DataVita, in
partnership with CoreWeave. It will support more than 3,400 jobs
over the coming years and will crowd in £8.2 billion in private
investment, with a further £540 million committed over 15 years
to support the local community. This will fund skills and
training packages, after‑school coding and digital clubs, and
support for local charities and foodbanks.
The 9,000‑acre site will be one of the most advanced AI campuses
in the world, drawing on on‑site renewable energy to power up to
500MW of compute and exploring how excess heat generated by
data‑centre cooling could support nearby facilities such as
University Hospital Monklands, Scotland's first fully digital and
Net Zero hospital.
Lanarkshire becomes the fifth AI Growth Zone announced since the
launch of the Action Plan, joining Oxfordshire, North Wales,
South Wales and the North East. AI Growth Zones are expected to
support up to 15,000 jobs and at least £28 billion in private
investment.
Establishment of the AI and the Future of Work Programme and
Expansion of the AI Upskilling Programme
The Government is establishing a comprehensive AI and the Future
of Work Programme to ensure the UK is prepared to benefit from
and adapt to the profound changes AI will bring to jobs, workers
and the labour market. This includes launching a new
cross‑government AI and the Future of Work Unit and appointing an
independent Expert Panel drawn from industry, academia, civil
society and trade unions to guide this work.
Building on last year's commitment to provide free AI training
for all workers, the Government is expanding its national
upskilling programme—delivered with major industry and now public
sector partners—to equip 10 million workers with AI skills by
2030, up from the original 7.5 million ambition.
This forms part of a wider effort to ensure that AI-driven
transformation delivers opportunities, supports economic growth,
and helps workers and communities benefit from technological
change.
AI Opportunities Action Plan – Delivery Update
AI Growth Zones were a core commitment of the AI Opportunities
Action Plan – which the Government published a year ago to ensure
the UK leads in shaping the AI revolution.
One year on, we have moved decisively from ambition to delivery.
We have now met 38 of the Action Plan's 50 commitments, and today
we are publishing our One Year On Update. As per the Action Plan,
we have focused on three goals: laying the foundations to enable
AI, changing lives for the better, and securing our future.
Laying the foundations. We have designated five
AI Growth Zones, accelerating data‑centre build‑out. We have
expanded national compute capacity, with Isambard‑AI switched on
in Bristol and committed to procure to increase the supercomputer
capacity at the University of Cambridge – already home to the
DAWN supercomputer – sixfold by Spring 2026. We have also begun
the biggest AI‑skills drive in a generation: over 1 million AI
training courses have already been delivered in just the last 6
months.
Changing Lives. AI is already delivering
practical benefits for citizens. AI-assisted diagnostics are
supporting one third of NHS chest X-rays, improving detection and
treatment times. We have announced trials of AI tutoring tools to
support learning and reduce teacher workload.
Securing our Future. UK AI companies raised more
than £6 billion last year, and there are now over 185 UK tech
unicorns valued at over $1 billion. The Government has now
established the Sovereign AI Unit, backed by up to £500 million,
to invest in UK AI companies and support them to become
world-leading in critical parts of the AI value chain.
There is much more to do to seize the opportunities of AI. Over
the coming year we will continue to bring AI Growth Zones from
designation to delivery, operationalising the Sovereign AI Unit –
backed by up to £500 million in funding - and equip millions of
workers with the skills they need for the AI age.
But our achievements over the last year show what is possible
when ambition meets delivery. If we sustain this pace, Britain
will continue not just adapt to technological change, but to
shape it in the public interest.
