BT Group inked a partnership with AI start-up Nscale to build up to 14 megawatts of sovereign AI data centre capacity in the UK using Nvidia’s full stack infrastructure, as demand for domestic compute surges.
Under the agreement, Nscale plans to build AI data centre capabilities across three existing BT sites, with the operator supplying connectivity and core infrastructure to ensure “secure, UK-controlled” AI services.
Powered by Nvidia’s full-stack AI platform, BT explained the facilities will tackle requirements around data residency, security and compliance by enabling organisations to run AI workloads and scale capacity locally.
The companies highlighted applications spanning healthcare, research and critical industries including energy, finance and security.
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Full sovereign services
BT linked the buildout to its launch of what it claims is the UK’s first full sovereign services portfolio, spanning connectivity, voice, cloud and AI. The offer aims to help organisations “keep sensitive workloads in the UK” while accelerating adoption of advanced technologies.
Research commissioned by the operator estimated digital sovereignty could unlock £18 billion in productivity gains for the UK economy, with sovereign data centres potentially generating £14.6 billion by 2030 and cloud services adding £13.6 billion over five years.
BT Business CEO Jon James said the development of AI infrastructure is “key to unlocking economic growth in the UK”, adding the operator’s network puts it in a position to support “the nation’s sovereign ambitions”.
Nscale CRO Tom Burke emphasised the role of telecoms infrastructure, stating “you can’t deliver AI at scale without resilient, high-capacity networks as the backbone”.
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