Google says to invest £5bln in UK ahead of Trump visit
LONDON
Google said Tuesday it was investing £5 billion ($6.8 billion) in the U.K. over the next two years to help power the country's AI drive, ahead of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The funds would go towards the company's "capital expenditure, research and development ... and encompasses Google DeepMind with its pioneering AI research in science and healthcare," Google said in a statement.
Google was Tuesday to open a data centre in Waltham Cross, eastern Hertfordshire, which it announced last year with a $1 billion investment. Tuesday's announcement would be on top of the monies already pledged, a Google spokesperson told AFP.
Trump was due to land in Britain later Tuesday for an historic second state visit that will see the U.K. government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer spare no effort in trying to flatter the mercurial American president.
Trump will be accompanied by a "significant" number of U.S. tech CEOs when he meets with Starmer at his country residence on Thursday, a senior U.S. official said.
They would include the heads of chip giant Nvidia and ChatGPT-maker Open AI, U.S. media reported.
"This visit will highlight a new science and technology partnership that will include billions of dollars in new investment," the U.S. official told reporters including AFP.
The two countries are set to sign agreements worth about £10 billion, including one to speed up development of a new nuclear project as well as what British officials call "a world-leading tech partnership".
Starmer on Sunday already hailed plans by U.S. finance firms including PayPal and Citi Group to invest £1.25 billion in the U.K..
The nuclear partnership promises faster regulatory approval and several new private sector investment deals for nuclear projects, as the U.K. strives to meet net zero and energy security targets.
