The UK government has put a £1.3 billion investment plan in technology and artificial intelligence (AI) projects on hold.
The funds included an £800 million exascale supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh and £500 million to invest in computing power for AI Research Resource.
Although the funds were promised to the relevant institutions by the previous Conservative government, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has said they were never included in the budget.
Difficult choices
“The government is making difficult and necessary decisions on spending across all departments, despite billions of pounds of unfunded commitments. This is essential to restore economic stability and achieve our national mission for growth,” the DSIT said in a statement.
The Conservatives have responded by arguing that the DSIT has underspent, with shadow secretary Andrew Griffith saying: “It is a fact that at the time of the election ministers were advised by civil servants that the department was likely to underspend for the current financial year.”
“Our commitment across government to science, research and innovation, including the UK’s leadership in AI, has been excellent,” Griffith continued.
The supercomputer in Edinburgh, for which the university has already invested £31 million in building housing for the project, was expected to be 50 times faster than any other computer in the UK.
A page on the university’s website stated: “Exascale will help researchers model all aspects of the world, test scientific theories, and improve products and services in areas such as artificial intelligence, drug discovery, climate change, astrophysics and advanced engineering.”
Speak with BBC newstechUK’s director of technology and innovation, Sue Daly, said: “Investment in large-scale computing is essential for the scientific breakthroughs that will grow our economy and improve our lives. The UK has sent clear signals about its ambitions to house a new generation of computers to enable cutting-edge research, including in AI.”
“In an extremely competitive global environment, the government must come up with new proposals quickly or we will lose out to our peers,” Daly concluded.
