The UK government has launched a new initiative to deepen artificial intelligence (AI) collaboration with Europe, aiming to unlock breakthroughs in healthcare, clean energy, and advanced computing. Building on a renewed partnership with the EU, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced on May 27 that it is accepting applications from public research organisations to host the UK’s first “AI Factory Antenna.”
This new facility would serve as the UK’s gateway to some of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers—high-performance computing systems critical to training and deploying next-generation AI models. The initiative is part of the UK’s broader *Plan for Change*, which includes accelerating innovation, driving economic growth, and creating high-skilled jobs across the country.
“Supercomputers are the turbo-chargers of discovery,” said Minister for AI Feryal Clark. “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.”
The programme follows the UK’s 2024 decision to join the EU-led EuroHPC Joint Undertaking (JU), granting British researchers access to supercomputing infrastructure from 35 countries. Now, the UK aims to partner with a European AI Factory—a site that combines EuroHPC’s computing power with data, training, and software support. Up to £2.5 million in UK government funding will be matched by the EU if the application is successful.
The selected UK host organisation or consortium will be endorsed to apply for the EuroHPC call for AI Factory Antennas. If approved, it will enable researchers and startups to build more complex AI models, shorten development cycles, and supercharge innovation. Applications must be submitted by June 11, 2025.
This AI infrastructure boost complements a wave of recent investments in UK compute capacity, including £44 billion in data centres since July 2024. Later this summer, the government is expected to confirm sites for AI Growth Zones—specialist hubs designed to attract private investment and strengthen national capabilities in AI.
Officials say the AI Factory Antenna initiative will reinforce Britain’s role as a trusted partner in global AI development while placing UK researchers at the cutting edge of discovery. “This is about more than faster processing,” said Clark. “It’s about putting the UK at the forefront of global AI.”
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