Recently, the UK government capitalized on US President Trump’s visit to sign the multi-billion-pound Technology Prosperity Pact, while simultaneously announcing the launch of the “Stargate UK” (Stargate LLC) AI initiative. This news quickly became a focal point in British media, hailed as a major breakthrough for the UK in the technology sector. Under the plan, Nvidia will invest £500 million in UK cloud computing startup Nscale to deploy 120,000 Nvidia chips, potentially creating Europe’s largest artificial intelligence computing cluster. Nscale has also entered into cooperation agreements with U.S.-based OpenAI and NVIDIA to jointly advance the UK’s “Stargate” initiative. Additionally, it is partnering with Microsoft to build the UK’s largest AI supercomputer in Loughborough. Nscale’s CEO, Pay, stated that the company will fully commit to developing the UK’s artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Australia’s Capital Secrets
However, the latest report by the UK’s Financial Times on September 20th delivered a stunning revelation. The seemingly British sovereign AI initiative is backed by Nscale, a “UK company” actually controlled by Australian capital. Records show Nscale was founded in 2024 and secured $155 million in Series A funding that December to develop data centers across Europe and North America. Although its headquarters and registered office are in the UK, the actual owners and operators are Australian. A confirmation statement from the UK Companies House reveals that as of June this year, all of Nscale’s share capital is owned by Arkon Energy, a data center infrastructure provider headquartered in Australia. This revelation casts a shadow over the UK government’s AI initiative.
UK Lagging in the AI Race
The UK government’s former Chief Digital and Data Officer, Bracken, expressed deep concern over this issue. In a media article, he pointed out that in the fierce competition for digital sovereignty in the AI era, the UK has already fallen behind. The nation’s excessive reliance on outsourcing in critical areas such as data, skills, and production capacity has effectively handed control over this strategically vital new technology domain to international monopolistic platforms. The UK’s “Stargate” initiative was conceived to secure a foothold in AI and bolster its voice in global technological competition. Yet now, with core enterprises controlled by foreign capital, the project faces significant uncertainties. This incident serves as a wake-up call for the UK: ensuring technological sovereignty and industrial security in advancing AI development has become an urgent priority for the government.
