The UK government has announced a £36 million investment to expand access to advanced artificial intelligence, supporting a major modernization of the University of Cambridge’s DAWN supercomputer.
Ministers say the move will give UK researchers and start-ups free access to powerful AI computing power usually dominated by global tech giants, and help level the playing field for smaller teams working on public interest innovations.
The funding will increase DAWN’s capacity sixfold within a few months, allowing hundreds more research projects to run alongside the 350 already using the system. The government says the improved supercomputer will enable breakthroughs in personalized cancer treatment, climate modeling and earlier disease detection in primary care.
According to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, UK scientists are already using DAWN to identify which parts of a tumor the immune system is most likely to attack, to refine flood prediction models for local authorities and to develop AI tools that could help GPs diagnose illnesses earlier.
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan said the investment had removed a long-standing barrier to British innovation.
“The UK is home to world-class AI talent, but too often our most ambitious researchers and startups have been held back by a lack of access to computing power,” he said. “This investment gives UK innovators the tools they need to compete with the biggest players and develop AI that delivers real benefits, from healthcare to climate resilience.”
While the announcement was welcomed as a practical step to support domestic research, industry representatives are divided over whether the level of funding reflects the global reality of AI investment.
Colette Mason, author and AI consultant at Clever Clogs AI, said the value of the investment depends on how its outcomes are managed.
“£36 million is good value for money if it reduces diagnosis time, improves flood planning or strengthens public services in a way people can see,” she said. “It is of little value if profits are ultimately tied to private intellectual property or acquisitions that shift benefits elsewhere. Public investment should come with public conditions.”
Others were more skeptical. David Belle, founder of Fink Money, compared the funding to investment levels elsewhere.
“Globally speaking, £36 million is a tiny sum,” he said. “The US has committed billions to non-defense AI research. There is a risk that this money will go towards planning and advice rather than implementation.”
However, Rohit Parmar-Mistry, founder of Pattrn Data, argued that the investment should be judged on focus rather than scale.
“In the global AI arms race, £36m is a rounding error. That’s what Silicon Valley spends before breakfast,” he said. “But the UK doesn’t need to spend more than Big Tech, it needs to rethink. Expanding access to computers for UK researchers is a smart move, provided the public remains involved in what is being built.”
The government says the DAWN expansion is part of its broader AI strategy to improve access to computing, accelerate applied research and ensure public sector challenges, from healthcare to climate change adaptation, are not sidelined by commercial priorities.
