The UK government has announced a new partnership with the EU to develop AI technology.

As part of the move, British public research organisations can apply to host the UK’s AI Factory Antenna, a national hub designed to bring the capabilities of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) to the UK.

The EuroHPC JU is an EU-led initiative that pools resources from the EU and participating countries to develop European computing infrastructure and research capabilities. It brings together supercomputing systems from 35 countries, including all 27 EU member states, Norway and Turkey, to drive the next generation of computing technologies.

The UK AI Factory antenna will enable British companies to access the EuroHPC, a high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure developed and coordinated by the European High EuroHPC JU.

The EuroHPC JU will offer data training and software support for organisations in the UK through the UK’s Factory Antenna.

The facility will link British research expertise to its advanced supercomputers across Europe.

If successful in its application, the chosen organisation will host the UK’s AI Factory Antenna, through which British companies can access top European supercomputers through a partnership with an AI Factory on the continent.

The government said the partnership will enable UK scientists, startups and public institutions to build larger, more complex AI models and shorten development cycles as well as accelerating innovation.

Minister for AI, Feryal Clark, said that supercomputers are the “turbo-chargers” of discovery, adding that the partnership would put the UK at the forefront of global AI.

“By strengthening our partnership with Europe, we’re giving British innovators the compute power to solve climate and health challenges, grow the economy, and deliver our Plan for Change,” he added. “With access to some of Europe’s most advanced systems, our researchers and startups will be equipped to lead on cutting-edge breakthroughs and strengthen Britain’s role as a trusted partner in international AI development.”

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