No power until 2030s for flagship AI campus
Nscale told to wait until next decade.
Good morning,
Thanks to everyone who joined our webinar yesterday. There is a recording and summary below for those who missed it.
But before that... it's been a year since ministers made Nscale's data centre project in Essex the centrepiece of the UK's Tech Prosperity Deal with the US. It was meant to be complete in early 2027, but when reporter Oscar Hornstein visited yesterday, the only thing growing were the weeds.
That's because Nscale has been told it can't get enough power to the site until the 2030s 🤯. Find out below what's happening.
VAST Data’s new DataEnclave has launched. It creates hardware-isolated, cryptographically verified environments where AI models can work with an organisation’s most sensitive data without exposing that data to the model provider or the infrastructure operator.
The data owner retains control of their data. The model provider retains control of their IP. The infrastructure operator has access to neither.
For regulated industries and public-sector organisations that have struggled to combine sensitive data with advanced AI, this changes what is possible.
Happening Today 📆
Applicants wanted: The prime minister is looking for a new AI adviser after Jade Leung stepped down from the role. She will instead be a security adviser to the PM's AI Taskforce and vice-chair of AISI. The government cited "personal circumstances" for the change.
How to Grow: TechUK sets out nine recommendations for ministers to create economic growth this Parliament in a report out this morning. They include moving electricity levies off bills, speeding up grid connection queues and securing UK access to the EU's tech sovereignty fund.
Paris pipped: London has been edged out as Europe's leading AI city by Paris, according to The Observer's first AI Cities Index which launches today. The capital ranked sixth globally, one place behind Paris. San Francisco, New York, Seoul and Beijing took the top four spots. Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh also made the rankings.
Jeez: An OpenAI agent hacked an Australian government website in June, the country's prime minister revealed overnight.
In today's edition:
😥 The UK's flagship data centre project has been told it can't enough power until the 2030s
💻 The CMA opens the door to AI assistants on Google search choice screens
🙋 Our panel tackles your questions on future AI regulation.
