The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology has revealed that later tonight, on Thursday 16th April, the Technology Secretary will officially launch the Sovereign AI Unit – the government’s £500 million investment in UK AI to create jobs and drive economic growth.
In a decisive shift in how Britain backs its most promising AI companies, the DSIT says that government will use the power of the state to drive enterprise and innovation, and support AI companies to scale, compete and win on the global stage.
Sovereign AI is designed to help AI companies scale up, compete and become globally competitive companies anchored in Britain.
The UK already has world-class research, talent and strong data assets. UK AI startups raised £6 billion in venture capital last year and, just 3 months into 2026, they’ve already raised more than half of that figure again.
The opportunities for Britain to succeed in the AI era are vast, but too many high‑potential firms still struggle to make the leap from breakthrough research to large‑scale commercial success. Sovereign AI is designed to close that gap.
The Unit will act as a venture capital fund within government, making targeted investments in UK AI firms. But it will go significantly further by using the unique capabilities of the state to go beyond traditional funding models.
On top of capital, Sovereign AI will provide direct access to the UK’s fastest AI supercomputers, specialist R&D support and grants, and direct engagement with government on procurement opportunities – as well as help to navigate and shape regulatory innovation.
All of this will help remove the structural barriers that often slow British AI businesses as they scale – accelerating their path to market, deployment and international growth.
Recent history shows that with the right plans and backing, AI companies can go on to worldwide success. Wayve, hosting tonight’s launch, has grown from just two engineers with a smartphone attached to the roof of a Renault Twizy, to a £6.6 billion British AI success story.
As global competition in AI intensifies, countries that succeed will be those able not just to invent new technologies, but to build and retain companies capable of deploying them at scale.
Sovereign AI reflects a deliberate shift in approach – from fragmented support to focused, long‑term backing of AI firms operating in strategically important areas, including those relevant to economic growth, public services and national resilience.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall is expected to announce the first companies receiving backing from Sovereign AI. As part of her speech, she will tell an audience of investors, founders, researchers and policymakers:
“If we believe AI is absolutely critical to our economic prosperity and our national security, which I do. Then this fund, and the even bigger ambition behind it, is one of the single most important things this government will do for the future of this country.”
She is expected to add: “We believe in Britain and we are betting on Britain. We are backing our brilliant innovators and entrepreneurs so we seize the benefits of this technology to reshape Britain for the benefit of all.”
