The UK Government has announced a comprehensive Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy aimed at positioning the country as a global leader in AI innovation and adoption. Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled the plan on January 13, 2025, emphasizing its potential to drive economic growth and transform public services across the nation, including Scotland.
Key Initiatives
The strategy, dubbed the “AI Opportunities Action Plan,” introduces several groundbreaking measures:
- AI Growth Zones: Dedicated areas will be established to accelerate AI infrastructure development. The first of these zones will be in Culham, Oxfordshire, with more locations to be announced in the summer, potentially including de-industrialised areas of Scotland.
- Compute Power Expansion: The government aims to increase public compute capacity twentyfold by 2030, starting with the construction of a new supercomputer.
- National Data Library: A new resource will be created to safely unlock the value of public data and support AI development.
- AI Energy Council: This dedicated body will address the energy demands of AI technology, supporting the UK’s ambition to become a clean energy superpower.
Impact on Scottish Business and Energy Sectors
For Scottish businesses, the strategy presents significant opportunities for growth and innovation. The plan’s focus on AI adoption across all sectors of the economy could particularly benefit Scotland’s diverse industrial landscape.
Prime Minister Starmer stated: “Artificial Intelligence will drive incredible change in our country. From teachers personalising lessons, to supporting small businesses with their record-keeping, to speeding up planning applications, it has the potential to transform the lives of working people.”
The strategy’s emphasis on energy is especially relevant to Scotland’s robust energy sector. The newly established AI Energy Council will work on addressing AI’s energy demands, potentially creating new opportunities for Scotland’s renewable energy industry.
Tim Bestwick, Deputy CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, highlighted the potential synergy between AI and energy innovation. He commented: “AI and High-Performance Computing are central to UKAEA’s mission to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy.”
Julian David OBE, CEO of techUK, expressed optimism about the plan: “These well thought out initiatives will boost the UK’s AI capabilities with positive effects across our society and economy.”
“Now that the government has set out its Plan, it is time to act, and at pace. To drive new investment, Industry will want to see more detail on how this plan will be actioned within the next six months, particularly as we face growing competition from other countries.”
The new AI Opportunities Action Plan takes forward all 50 recommendations set out by Matt Clifford CBE, the co-founder of tech talent investment company Entrepreneur First and co-leader of the first AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park in 2023.
Max Clifford commented: “This is a plan which puts us all-in – backing the potential of AI to grow our economy, improve lives for citizens, and make us a global hub for AI investment and innovation.
AI offers opportunities we can’t let slip through our fingers, and these steps put us on the strongest possible footing to ensure AI delivers in all corners of the country, from building skills and talent to revolutionising our infrastructure and compute power.”
The government estimates that if AI is fully embraced, it could boost productivity by up to 1.5 percentage points annually, potentially worth an average of £47 billion to the UK each year over a decade.
As the UK government moves forward with this ambitious AI strategy, Scottish businesses and energy sector stakeholders will need to closely monitor developments and position themselves to capitalise on the emerging opportunities in this rapidly evolving landscape.
