EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Kao Data has released a strategic report titled ‘AI Taking, Not Making’, which delivers practical recommendations to help the UK make the most of its £31 billion AI opportunity
- The report identifies three strategic pillars which need to be addressed, from energy pricing and grid modernisation, to copyright amendments, to coordinated investment across energy and data centre infrastructure systems
- The report also outlines concrete partnership opportunities, including integrating data centres into Energy Intensive Industry (EII) frameworks
Kao Data has released a strategic report which shares the company’s analysis on the UK’s AI opportunity and what needs to be done to ‘ensure the UK remains an attractive location for frontier AI and advanced computing.’
The specialist developer and operator of data centres engineered for AI and advanced computing has titled the report ‘AI Taking, Not Making’. The title refers specifically to the AI Opportunities Action Plan, published by the UK government and written by Matt Clifford, the then-AI Opportunities Advisor. Spencer Lamb, MD & CCO of Kao Data, said that Clifford’s report ‘galvanised the industry around a bold vision for Britain’s digital future.’
The Kao Data report looks to support the Action Plan and deliver practical recommendations to help bridge the gap between government and industry, with the recent commitment of £31 billion from leading US technology firms, including Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA, OpenAI and CoreWeave, in mind.
The report, which draws upon Kao Data’s expertise in delivering hyperscale-inspired AI infrastructure, identifies three strategic pillars which must be addressed. Key areas include energy pricing and grid modernisation, proposed amendments to the UK’s copyright laws, and coordinated investment across the country’s energy and data centre infrastructure systems.
To unlock the projected 10GW AI opportunity by 2030, the report outlines key partnership opportunities, including integrating data centres into Energy Intensive Industry (EII) frameworks, as well as implementing zonal power pricing near renewable energy generation. The paper also shares key considerations to optimise the government’s AI Growth Zones.
“Our new report offers a practical roadmap to make this happen – drawing on our experience developing data centres, engineered for AI and advanced computing, and operating those which already power some of the world’s most demanding workloads,†said Lamb.
“Britain possesses extraordinary advantages, world-leading research institutions, exceptional engineering talent, and now substantial investment to back the country’s AI ambitions,†Lamb continued. “By working in partnership with government, we believe we can transform these strengths into the physical infrastructure that will power the next generation of industrial-scale AI innovations and deliver solutions that position the UK at the forefront of the global AI race.â€
You can download the full report here (email required): https://kaodata.com/taker-not-maker
