Jensen Huang, the chief executive of US AI chipmaker Nvidia, has announced a £500m investment in British cloud computing firm NScale, predicting that the UK will become an 'AI superpower'. Speaking at a press conference in London, Huang said he was taking an equity stake in NScale and forecast revenues of up to £50bn over the next six years.
Huang cited the UK's universities and homegrown AI companies such as DeepMind and Wayve as evidence of Britain's potential, adding: 'You just don't appreciate it. Your universities. Come on. You're too humble.' The investment includes 120,000 graphics processing units, with total spending amounting to £11bn, 70% of which covers computing and networking costs.
Huang said the combined additional computing power would be 'approximately 100 times the performance of the fastest supercomputer in the UK right now, the Isambard AI supercomputer in Bristol'. He also addressed the debate over AI firms using copyrighted material, stating that 'artists should have the ability to monetise their creation'.
The announcement comes as China moves to ban its biggest AI firms from buying Nvidia chips, a move Huang described as 'disappointing', adding that collaboration between China and the US in AI is safer for the world. He also warned that securing enough electricity for power-hungry data centres remains a challenge, suggesting nuclear and gas turbine power stations would be needed.
Huang urged the UK to develop its own AI systems, saying: 'Every country should create its own AI... The data belongs to you. It belongs to your people, your companies. And you should be able to transform that data into your national interest.'
