London Tech Week 2026 concluded with £6 billion in AI pledges, including AMD’s £2bn five-year commitment and a UK government £1.1bn AI Hardware Plan anchored by a £750m national supercomputer.
Tag: United Kingdom
Posted inEconomy
UK economy slips 0.1% in April as Iran war hits services and energy output
UK monthly GDP fell 0.1% in April, the first contraction since August 2025, as energy output dropped and businesses cited the Middle East conflict as a drag on turnover.
Posted inEconomy
UK economy grew 0.6% in Q1 but OECD trims growth forecast on Iran war risk
UK real GDP expanded 0.6% in the first quarter of 2026, but the OECD has since cut its full-year growth forecast to 0.7% and raised its inflation call to 4.0%.
Posted inTech
UK announces AI hardware strategy to cut semiconductor dependence
The UK government unveiled a domestic AI hardware plan in late April, committing to build sovereign capability in the chips and semiconductor technologies underpinning the AI stack — a belated but explicit acknowledgement that dependence on US and Asian supply chains is a strategic vulnerability.
Posted inWorld
Starmer faces rebellion as Labour loses 1,500 council seats to Reform
The UK’s local elections on May 8 delivered Labour its worst council result in decades, with the party losing 1,496 seats and control of 38 councils, and 72 MPs now demanding Starmer resign or set a departure timetable.