Oxford AI chip startup raises $125m to tackle data centre power crunch Tech Oxford-based chip startup Salience Labs has raised $125m (£94m) from investors, including AMD and Intel, as the race to build AI data centres puts growing pressure on electricity supplies. The funding round, led by Bullhound Capital, is set to help the British firm scale production of its photonic chips, which use light rather than electrical [...]
We should be AI optimists, says Bank of England deputy Economics A top Bank of England official has called for optimism around artificial intelligence and said leveraging the tech is the “best pathway” to securing economic growth. Sarah Breeden, deputy governor for financial stability at the central bank, said the UK needs to “think ahead” on the future use cases of AI for “how we might [...]
Burnham grid shake-up offers data centres escape from power queue Tech Britain’s data centre developers could be handed a new route around years-long waits for electricity under Andy Burnham’s plan to open up the power grid to competition. The prime minister unveiled Great British Grid (GB Grid) on Tuesday, a publicly owned arm of Great British Energy that will aim to challenge existing network operators and [...]
Raspberry Pi shares surge as profit triples on hot demand September 24, 2026 Raspberry Pi shares jumped as much as 17 per cent on Thursday morning after the British computer maker reported record first-half results. The Cambridge-based computer maker posted pre-tax profit of $19.6m (£14.5m), up from $6.2m a year earlier, while revenue jumped 90 per cent to a record $256.9m. Shares were trading around 15 per cent [...]
Ofgem warns on grid squeeze after Heathrow data centre approved August 14, 2026 The energy watchdog Ofgem has warned that speculative data centre projects risk holding up viable investments on Britain’s electricity grid, after councillors approved another power-hungry facility near Heathrow Airport. Hounslow Council has backed plans for a data centre on a 12.2-acre brownfield site at the Haslemere Heathrow Estate, which would require an 80MVA high-capacity electricity [...]
Microsoft ‘back on track’, whilst Meta spending leaves investors ‘nervous’ July 30, 2026 Microsoft saw strong growth over the last quarter as demand for its AI products continued to climb, while Meta’s rising spending on AI overshadowed record sales and sent its shares lower. The two US tech giants reported quarterly results after the closing bell on Wednesday, offering investors a clear picture of whether billions of dollars [...]
Ofgem data centre crackdown risks ‘driving AI investors away’ from UK July 29, 2026 Ofgem’s plans to crack down on speculative data centre projects have prompted warnings that new grid connection fees could make Britain a less attractive destination for AI investment, even as the industry backs efforts to clear stalled schemes from the queue. The regulator has launched a consultation on proposals to free up electricity grid capacity [...]
‘Nasty’ chip stock rout plunges Nasdaq into correction territory July 29, 2026 A global rout in chip stocks plunged the Nasdaq into correction territory on Tuesday just hours after South Korea’s bourse was forced to halt trading, in a sharp change of fortunes for what has been one of the year’s top performing exchanges. New York’s tech-heavy index fell nearly two per cent at the US market [...]
Big Tech faces earnings test after AI spending spree July 18, 2026 Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon will report earnings over the next two weeks as investors look for evidence that years of record spending on AI are beginning to generate stronger revenue growth. The three companies have led the AI investment boom, committing billions of dollars to data centres, chips and software. Their latest results are expected [...]
Nscale taps lenders for $900m to fuel AI data centre splurge July 7, 2026 British data centre builder Nscale has landed a $900m (£673m) credit line from some of Wall Street’s biggest banks to fuel its global expansion, even as investors increasingly scrutinise the sector’s breakneck spending. The London-headquartered company said the financing will support the construction of new AI data centres across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific as [...]