AI minister: UK sets sights on global AI leadership, not Silicon Valley emulation Tech AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the UK must build enough domestic AI capability to “shape our own destiny” rather than rely on overseas tech giants as the government accelerates its push to develop sovereign AI infrastructure. Narayan told City AM that AI had become “the defining currency” of geopolitical and economic power, arguing that the [...]
AI startup boss warns UK cannot become ‘dependent’ on overseas tech Tech UK AI infrastructure company Valarian has raised $50m (£37m) in fresh funding as its boss said countries should focus on controlling AI infrastructure rather than competing to build their own frontier models. The Series A round, led by Silicon Valley investor New Enterprise Associates (NEA), takes the London firm’s total funding to $70m and marks [...]
London launches ‘world-first’ care AI lab to tackle NHS pressures Tech A new AI lab focused on the care sector is being launched in London with government backing, as the UK looks to scale homegrown healthtech and turn NHS innovation into exportable products. Cera said it is making an eight-figure investment into the facility, which will bring together AI specialists and a cohort of “entrepreneurs in [...]
AI minister defends billions amid ‘phantom funding’ scrutiny March 10, 2026 Britain’s multi billion-pound push to build sovereign AI capacity will inevitably include projects that are still taking shape rather than fully deployed capital, the UK’s AI minister told City AM, as scrutiny intensifies over the government’s headline investment figures. Kanishka Narayan, who was appointed as AI and online safety minister last September, said the scale [...]
UK tech faces hiring crunch despite AI visa push February 23, 2026 Applications from overseas tech workers wanting to move to the UK have dropped significantly, adding to concerns over talent shortages in one of the economy’s faster growing sectors. New data by accountancy firm RSM UK found the number of international workers applying for a UK visa to work in tech dropped 11 per cent from [...]
AI minister promises UK visa fast-track for global talent February 11, 2026 Britain will reimburse visa fees and speed up processing for international AI talent, as the government pushes to turn the country into a global hub for the technology. Speaking at the London AI Hub last night, AI minister Kanishka Narayan said a new dedicated AI “talent stream” would sit by a broader effort to train [...]
Fractile pledges £100m UK expansion amid AI chip push February 10, 2026 UK chip start-up Fractile has announced a £100m expansion of its British operations, scaling up in London and Bristol as ministers step up calls for greater domestic ownership of critical AI. The investment, which will be rolled out over the next three years, will fund a new industrial hardware engineering facility in Bristol. The move [...]