The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has launched a Request for Information (RFI) to gather industry insights on expanding the country’s AI research resource. The initiative is part of the government’s broader strategy to accelerate AI adoption across key sectors and position the UK as a global leader in technology and AI innovation.
The DSIT is seeking input on scaling AI research capacity and developing partnerships to support long-term growth. The RFI follows the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which outlines 50 recommendations to strengthen the UK’s AI ecosystem. The government has already committed to implementing all recommendations.
A core objective of the plan is to expand the UK’s AI research resources twentyfold by 2030, ensuring that startups and businesses have the computing power needed to drive innovation. The expansion aligns with broader efforts to integrate AI into public services. The government also sees AI as a driver of economic growth, citing International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that fully embracing AI could boost UK productivity by up to 1.5 percentage points annually, potentially adding £47bn to the economy each year over a decade.
DSIT’s key focus areas for the RFI
The RFI is open to a range of stakeholders, including AI-high-performance computing (HPC) data centre operators in the UK and associated data centre operation and support providers. It also invites compute hardware designers and suppliers, cloud service providers, and investors in high-performance data centre projects.
DSIT has expressed interest in understanding the current capabilities within the marketplace and the role of partnerships between the government and industry in building new capabilities. It also seeks to explore how these partnerships could support the full landscape of UK AI research.
However, the government is not seeking input on the specific uses of compute resources or particular applications of AI. AI Growth Zones are also not within the scope of this RFI, although they are connected to the broader goal of expanding the UK’s AI Research Resource capacity.
The responses will be instrumental in shaping the government’s upcoming Compute Strategy, set for release in 2025, as well as DSIT’s commercial strategy on AI infrastructure. Selected respondents may be invited for further discussions to provide additional insights.
To facilitate participation, DSIT will hold a briefing session on 20 March 2025 to explain the RFI process and address industry questions. Registration for the briefing session is now open, and attendance, while beneficial, is not a prerequisite for RFI participation. Interested parties can submit responses via email by 17 April 2025.
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