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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Aisha Down

Revealed: UK’s multibillion AI drive is built on ‘phantom investments’

Nscale CoreWeave United Kingdom United States Economy Nvidia Sir Keir Starmer London Datavita Loughton
An artist’s impression of a proposed ‘supercomputer’ site in Essex. The facility is due to be completed by the end of the year but remains a scaffolding yard.
An artist’s impression of a proposed ‘supercomputer’ site in Essex. The facility is due to be completed by the end of the year but remains a scaffolding yard. Composite: Guardian Design

A multibillion-pound drive to “mainline AI into the veins” of the British economy is riddled with “phantom investments” and shaky accounting, a Guardian investigation has found.

Since 2024, successive Conservative and Labour governments have proclaimed massive deals to build new datacentres, create thousands of jobs and construct a supercomputer.

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