Does the UK’s focus on AI infrastructure risk the chance of building its own British Big Tech?

Core Insights - The European Union is actively working to reduce reliance on US Big Tech by developing sovereign cloud solutions in collaboration with local partners in countries like France and Norway [1][2] - The UK is becoming increasingly viewed as a satellite of US tech dominance, raising concerns about data sovereignty and the implications for local businesses [2][10] - The recent UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal aims to enhance the UK's tech ecosystem by providing access to US datasets, infrastructure, and collaborative research opportunities [6][7] Investment and Infrastructure - Significant investments from US tech companies include a $30 billion commitment from Microsoft for a supercomputer, a $5 billion investment from Google for a new data center, and additional investments from CoreWeave and others [5] - The focus of these investments is primarily on data center construction, which creates jobs mainly during the build-out phase rather than in ongoing management [3] - Concerns have been raised about the potential diversion of local energy and water resources to support these large-scale data centers [3] Digital Sovereignty and Business Implications - Digital sovereignty is becoming a critical issue for UK businesses, with 73% of SMEs expressing concerns about data being stored in the US [10][12] - The US Cloud Act allows US law enforcement to access data stored overseas by US companies, further complicating the data sovereignty landscape [11] - Trust in data sovereignty is increasingly influencing procurement decisions and customer relationships, with local providers seen as more reliable [13][14] Opportunities for UK Tech - There is a growing opportunity for UK companies to establish themselves as sovereign AI infrastructure providers, as digital sovereignty becomes a priority for businesses [15][16] - The demand for local and sovereign infrastructure is expected to remain strong, particularly among enterprises in Europe and the Middle East [17][19] - UK businesses are encouraged to focus on innovation and building local capabilities to compete with US tech giants [24][25]