The future of a number of major products - including a new UK supercomputer - are now in doubt.

The new Labour government has shelved £1.3bn of funding promised by the Conservatives for tech and Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects, the BBC has learned.

It includes £800m for the creation of an exascale supercomputer at Edinburgh University and a further £500m for AI Research Resource, which funds computing power for AI.

Both funds were unveiled less than 12 months ago. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the money was promised by the previous administration but was never allocated in its budget.

Some in the industry have criticised the government’s decision. Tech business founder Barney Hussey-Yeo posted on X that reducing investment risked “pushing more entrepreneurs to the US.” Businessman Chris van der Kuyl described the move as “idiotic.”

  • @TheGrandNagusEnglish
    23•1 month ago

    So the Conservatives, just before the general election, announced a policy that sounds good, didn’t budget for it, did zero civil service legwork for it, just so that when Labour came in they’d have to scrap it and look bad?

    Why am I not surprised?