Sir Keir Starmer’s project to provide power to data centres has been sidelined under Andy Burnham as the Prime Minister redraws Britain’s AI policy.
The AI Energy Council, a cross-departmental effort to boost electricity supplies for AI infrastructure, has been in limbo under the new Prime Minister, with members saying the project has gone quiet.
The group, chaired by the Energy and Technology Secretaries and attended by industry heavyweights, was a key part of Sir Keir’s push to attract AI and data-centre investment to Britain.
It was tasked with making Britain’s grid “ready for the AI revolution”.
However, it last met in April, with attendees now saying they did not expect the project to continue and had not been informed about further meetings.
A government spokesman said the council would continue its work and that its next meeting would be announced in the future.
The AI Energy Council was announced last year as part of Sir Keir’s response to a government review into AI.
It was chaired by Peter Kyle, then technology secretary, and Ed Miliband, then energy secretary, as well as the boss of Ofgem, the major energy providers, and tech companies including Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
Members said the project was used to forecast electricity demand from AI data centres and to boost supplies for the giant infrastructure projects.
However, interest in the council appeared to dwindle over time. Minutes showed that Mr Kyle and Mr Miliband attended only the first two meetings, later sending their ministers, while the tech companies also stopped sending their UK heads.
Mr Miliband has questioned whether AI expansion can support Labour’s net zero plans, while the Technology Secretary position no longer exists after Mr Burnham dismantled the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Leave a comment