Nvidia's co-founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, has announced a significant £500 million investment in NScale, a UK-based cloud computing firm. This move signals Nvidia's confidence in the UK's potential to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, with Huang predicting the nation will emerge as an 'AI superpower'. The investment is set to bolster the UK's AI data centre capabilities and foster the development of advanced AI systems.
Key Takeaways
Nvidia commits £500 million to NScale, a UK cloud computing company.
Jensen Huang predicts the UK will become an 'AI superpower'.
The investment aims to enhance UK AI data centre infrastructure.
Nvidia is supplying 120,000 GPUs to the UK as part of a broader £11 billion investment.
Concerns raised about electricity supply for power-hungry data centres.
Boosting UK's AI Capabilities
Huang expressed strong optimism about the UK's AI future, citing its leading universities and innovative companies like DeepMind and Wayve as evidence of its potential. The £500 million equity investment in NScale is expected to help the company achieve revenues of up to £50 billion over the next six years. This partnership is part of a larger initiative by Nvidia to accelerate the "AI industrial revolution" in the UK, working with partners to build next-generation AI infrastructure.
Significant GPU Deployment
As part of this broader commitment, Nvidia plans to deploy 120,000 of its new Blackwell Ultra GPUs in the UK, contributing to an overall investment of up to £11 billion in local data centres. This deployment will significantly increase the UK's computing power, estimated to be around 100 times the performance of the current fastest supercomputer in the UK. NScale itself plans to deploy 300,000 Nvidia GPUs globally.
Addressing Challenges and Future Vision
While optimistic, Huang also highlighted a key challenge: securing sufficient electricity to power the growing number of data centres, suggesting the need for nuclear and gas turbine power stations. He also encouraged the UK to develop its own AI systems, emphasizing that data generated by the nation should be used for its national interest. The investment aligns with the UK government's ambition to be a global AI hub, fostering homegrown talent and sovereign AI capabilities.
Broader Tech Landscape
The announcement comes amidst a period of significant US tech investment in the UK's AI sector. Nvidia's move also occurs against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, with reports of China seeking to ban its AI firms from purchasing Nvidia chips. Huang expressed disappointment at this, advocating for international collaboration in AI development.