Wales is “uniquely placed” to benefit from the UK Government’s AI infrastructure plans, with work already underway to develop tech hubs, shared resources and data centres, says the Welsh Government.
First Minster Eluned Morgan welcomed the announcement of a multi-billion-pound investment in Artificial Intelligence. The UK AI Opportunities Action Plan, launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer aims to “drive economic growth, support public services and use intelligent technology to improve people’s everyday lives”, the UK Government said.
As part of the investment, US technology giant Vantage Data Centers plans to invest more than £12 billion across the UK, resulting in the creation of over 11,500 jobs.
It is expected that the lion’s share of the new investment from Vantage will be in Wales. The biggest investment will be in Bridgend, where the company plans to develop the former Ford factory site to become one of Europe’s largest data centre campuses.
The First Minister said:
“The announcement, which includes a multi-billion-pound investment in AI by some of the world’s biggest tech companies, is a huge boost in confidence for industry in Wales.
“We are seeing that AI is increasingly being used as a power for good, whether that’s increasing productivity or bringing smarter solutions to everyday problems.
“There can be enormous benefits to the economy in establishing the tech and wider infrastructure here in Wales. Industry leaders recognise that the conditions are right in Wales, with a government that will do what it can to make these plans a reality.
“This won’t happen overnight and it’s important that the infrastructure, data, skills and talent is in place to ensure that we all benefit from these solutions. There’s no question that Wales is in an excellent position to benefit, given the work that’s already in progress here.”
The Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans is leading a review to explore how Wales can capitalise on opportunities and develop Wales’ strengths in the development of AI-based technologies.
Over the past year, the Welsh Government has worked with other organisations to develop guidance to support Welsh public bodies in adopting AI in a responsible, safe and ethical way, it said.
Wales has already seen evidence of the value of AI implementation in diagnostic care in the NHS, with a digital pathology platform for prostate and breast cancer detection led by Betsi Cadwaladr seeing a 13% increase in prostate cancer detection rates.
Estyn, the school inspectorate, is also undertaking a review of the use of Generative AI in schools, which will explore the potential benefits to schools, while also considering the challenges they pose.
