The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has welcomed the announcement of new investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure, unveiled during the US state visit this week, saying it could secure Britain’s position alongside the US and China as part of the emerging “AI Big Three”. 

The UK and US have agreed the Tech Prosperity Deal, focused on developing the fastest growing technologies like AI, quantum and nuclear. The pact comes as billions of pounds of investment have been announced by US technology giants to turbocharge the UK's AI industry.  

Microsoft will invest $30bn in the UK by 2028, including its largest supercomputer project with Nscale. Nvidia pledged £11bn ($15bn) with CoreWeave and Nscale, while Google will spend £5bn ($6.8bn) on a new data centre. Salesforce raised its UK commitment to $6bn, and OpenAI launched “Stargate UK” in Newcastle. In total, the package brings over $40bn in AI investment, reinforcing Britain’s position in the global “AI Big Three”.  

Ben Brittain, Director of Public Affairs at ACE, said: “This investment is a gear-change in Britain’s AI and digital journey. The consultancy and engineering sector is at the sharp end of delivering this critical infrastructure. ACE members are building the foundations of the AI age, from resilient energy grids, necessary water infrastructure to support data centres, to high-capacity networks and smarter buildings, turning investment into the infrastructure that makes AI at scale possible. AI cannot thrive without these strong foundations.” 

The engineering and consultancy sector is expected to be among the immediate beneficiaries, with demand likely to rise for expertise in energy resilience, digital infrastructure and the design and delivery of new AI data centres.  

ACE said the new investment would not only strengthen Britain’s domestic capability but also help future-proof the economy and reinforce the UK’s role as a global hub for innovation. 

 “This is about ensuring Britain has the infrastructure to sit at the top table of AI development and this investment ensures Britain remains part of the global big three on AI, securing our leading position with the US and China,” Ben Brittain added.