AI minister hints at Budget measures as UK weighs tougher tech rules Tech AI minister Kanishka Narayan has hinted at new measures in next week’s Budget, as the government considers tougher regulation of AI alongside plans to reduce Britain’s dependence on foreign technology. Narayan said ministers must go beyond regulating AI and develop domestic technology to give Britain greater influence over how it is used. Speaking on BBC’s [...]
AI giant Perplexity taps London startup Valarian in sovereign tech drive Tech US AI giant Perplexity has struck a deal with London-based startup Valarian to bring its technology into the UK government and defence systems, a major boost to Britain’s ambition to reduce its reliance on foreign tech infrastructure. The partnership will let governments and businesses handling sensitive information deploy Perplexity’s AI within their own infrastructure, keeping [...]
AI minister warned UK risks becoming ‘high-value AI customer’ Tech Britain risks becoming a “high value AI customer” rather than developing its own tech unless ministers urgently invest in domestic firms, the government’s top science advisory body has warned. In a letter to AI minister Kanishka Narayan, the Council for Science and Technology (CST) called for a national AI sovereignty plan to reduce Britain’s reliance [...]
Starling warns UK risks being ‘second in the queue’ on AI October 15, 2026 Britain risks becoming “second in the queue” for AI unless it invests more in domestic infrastructure, a government AI adviser has warned, as Starling Bank becomes the first lender to train an AI model on a UK sovereign cloud. Harriet Rees, Starling’s chief information officer and the Treasury’s AI champion for financial services, warned that [...]
Nscale vows stay in UK despite £35bn US stock market listing September 22, 2026 Nscale has vowed to keep Britain at the heart of its global expansion despite choosing New York over London for its blockbuster float, as the AI infrastructure firm looks to turn its UK base into an export hub for computing power. The Nvidia-backed firm believes jobs and expertise built in Britain can serve customers around [...]
AI startup boss warns UK cannot become ‘dependent’ on overseas tech July 15, 2026 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 [...]
Darktrace says Anthropic was right to pause Mythos on ‘security and safety’ grounds July 7, 2026 Darktrace has backed Anthropic’s temporary restrictions on its most advanced AI models, arguing the move was about safety rather than shutting Britain out of its frontier model. Nicole Carignan, Darktrace’s SVP of AI and security strategy, told City AM the short-lived curb on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models should not be read as a straightforward [...]
Britain’s first sovereign AI model secures blue-chip backing as Starmer unveils £400m plan June 8, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s push to build sovereign British AI capability has won backing from some of the country’s biggest companies, with BT, HSBC, Lloyds, Natwest and BAE Systems joining plans to develop Britain’s first sovereign frontier AI model. British AI startup Cosine unveiled a coalition of major banks, defence contractors and infrastructure firms who had [...]