Kao Data unveils blueprint to accelerate UK AI ambitions

Author: Simon Rowley

Kao Data, a specialist developer and operator of data centres engineered for AI and advanced computing, has released a strategic report charting a clear path to accelerate the UK’s AI ambitions in support of the UK Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan.

The report, AI Taking, Not Making, delivers practical recommendations to bridge the gap between government and industry – helping organisations to capitalise on the recent £31 billion in commitments from leading US technology firms including Microsoft, Google, NVIDIA, OpenAI, and CoreWeave, and highlighting key pitfalls which could prevent them from materialising.

Drawing on Kao Data’s expertise in delivering hyperscale-inspired AI infrastructure, the report identifies three strategic pillars which must be addressed for the UK to secure the much-anticipated economic boost from the Government’s Plan for Change. Key areas include energy pricing and grid modernisation, proposed amendments to the UK’s AI copyright laws, and coordinated investment strategies across the country’s energy and data centre infrastructure systems.

“Matt Clifford’s AI Opportunities Action Plan has galvanised the industry around a bold vision for Britain’s digital future, and the recent investment pledges from global technology leaders signals tremendous confidence in our potential,” says Spencer Lamb, MD & CCO of Kao Data. “What’s needed now is focused collaboration between industry and government to transform these commitments into world-class infrastructure. 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.”

The new Kao Data report outlines concrete opportunities for partnership across a series of strategic pillars, including integrating data centres into Energy Intensive Industry (EII) frameworks, implementing zonal power pricing near renewable energy generation and accelerating grid modernisation to unlock the projected 10GW AI opportunity by 2030.

Additionally, the report proposes new measures to evolve UK AI copyright law with a pragmatic approach that protects creative industries whilst ensuring Britain remains a competitive location for the large-scale AI training deployments essential for attracting frontier AI workloads.

Further, the paper shares key considerations to optimise the government’s AI Growth Zones (AIGZs), defining benefit structures that create stronger alignment between public infrastructure programmes and the private sector to ensure rapid deployment of sovereign UK AI capacity.

“Britain possesses extraordinary advantages, world-leading research institutions, exceptional engineering talent, and now substantial investment to back the country’s AI ambitions,” Spencer continues. “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.”

To download the full report, click here.

For more from Kao Data, click here.