### Summary
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is allocating $130 million to purchase computer chips to power artificial intelligence and build an "AI Research Resource" in the United Kingdom.
### Facts
- 🧪 The United Kingdom plans to establish an "AI Research Resource" by mid-2024 to become an AI tech hub.
- 💻 The government is sourcing chips from NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD and has ordered 5,000 NVIDIA graphic processing units (GPUs).
- 💰 The allocated $130 million may not be sufficient to match the ambition of the AI hub, leading to a potential request for more funding.
- 🌍 A recent report highlighted that many companies face challenges deploying AI due to limited resources and technical obstacles.
- 👥 In a survey conducted by S&P Global, firms reported insufficient computing power as a major obstacle to supporting AI projects.
- 🤖 The ability to support AI workloads will play a crucial role in determining who leads in the AI space.
Main topic: The demand for computer chips to train AI models and its impact on startups.
Key points:
1. The surge in demand for AI training has created a need for access to GPUs, leading to a shortage and high costs.
2. Startups prefer using cloud providers for access to GPUs due to the high costs of building their own infrastructure.
3. The reliance on Nvidia as the main provider of AI training hardware has contributed to the scarcity and expense of GPUs, causing startups to explore alternative options.
The U.S. is falling behind in regulating artificial intelligence (AI), while Europe has passed the world's first comprehensive AI law; President Joe Biden recently met with industry leaders to discuss the need for AI regulation and companies pledged to develop safeguards for AI-generated content and prioritize user privacy.
The rise of AI is not guaranteed to upend established companies, as incumbents have advantages in distribution, proprietary datasets, and access to AI models, limiting the opportunities for startups.
The German government is increasing its funding for artificial intelligence research, pledging nearly €1bn to support the development of AI systems, with a goal of securing technological sovereignty and positioning Germany and Europe as leaders in the AI field.
The United Kingdom plans to spend £100 million on computer chips for artificial intelligence (AI) systems to establish itself as a global leader in the industry, although experts believe the investment might not be sufficient to compete with other nations.
The UK government has been urged to introduce new legislation to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in order to keep up with the European Union (EU) and the United States, as the EU advances with the AI Act and US policymakers publish frameworks for AI regulations. The government's current regulatory approach risks lagging behind the fast pace of AI development, according to a report by the science, innovation, and technology committee. The report highlights 12 governance challenges, including bias in AI systems and the production of deepfake material, that need to be addressed in order to guide the upcoming global AI safety summit at Bletchley Park.
UK's plan to lead in AI regulation is at risk of being overtaken by the EU unless a new law is introduced in November, warns the Commons Technology Committee, highlighting the need for legislation to avoid being left behind.
Northern Ireland has the potential to become a testing ground for artificial intelligence (AI) in the UK, with Belfast-based IT firm Kainos leading the way by investing £10m in the development of generative AI technology; experts believe that more companies in the region will follow suit. The head of The Software Alliance described this investment as a "super statement of intent" and believes that Northern Ireland could be a strong hub for AI research and innovation. The region already has clusters of research in various AI fields, including cybersecurity, medicine, robotics, and economics.
Nvidia's processors could be used as a leverage for the US to impose its regulations on AI globally, according to Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind and Inflection AI. However, Washington is lagging behind Europe and China in terms of AI regulation.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger believes that AI will extend beyond data centers and wants to put AI into everything, including PC CPUs, to bring AI processing closer to end users and enable real-time applications without relying on the cloud. Intel is positioning itself to tap into the growing demand for AI hardware and software across various sectors.
Countries around the world, including Australia, China, the European Union, France, G7 nations, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK, the UN, and the US, are taking various steps to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and address concerns related to privacy, security, competition, and governance.
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen announced a new initiative to provide expedited access to European supercomputers for AI startups, while also calling for the establishment of a global framework for AI governance during her State of the Union address.
A bipartisan group of senators is expected to introduce legislation to create a government agency to regulate AI and require AI models to obtain a license before deployment, a move that some leading technology companies have supported; however, critics argue that licensing regimes and a new AI regulator could hinder innovation and concentrate power among existing players, similar to the undesirable economic consequences seen in Europe.
Governments worldwide are grappling with the challenge of regulating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, as countries like Australia, Britain, China, the European Union, France, G7 nations, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Nations, and the United States take steps to establish regulations and guidelines for AI usage.
While many experts are concerned about the existential risks posed by AI, Mustafa Suleyman, cofounder of DeepMind, believes that the focus should be on more practical issues like regulation, privacy, bias, and online moderation. He is confident that governments can effectively regulate AI by applying successful frameworks from past technologies, although critics argue that current internet regulations are flawed and insufficiently hold big tech companies accountable. Suleyman emphasizes the importance of limiting AI's ability to improve itself and establishing clear boundaries and oversight to ensure enforceable laws. Several governments, including the European Union and China, are already working on AI regulations.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will warn the UN that artificial intelligence (AI) poses a threat to world order unless governments take action, with fears that the rapid pace of AI development could lead to job losses, misinformation, and discrimination without proper regulations in place. Dowden will call for global regulation and emphasize the importance of making rules in parallel with AI development rather than retroactively. Despite the need for regulation, experts note the complexity of reaching a quick international agreement, with meaningful input needed from smaller countries, marginalized communities, and ethnic minorities. The UK aims to take the lead in AI regulation, but there are concerns that without swift action, the European Union's AI Act could become the global standard instead.
Regulators are targeting chipmakers like Nvidia in Europe over concerns of illegal competition practices and the potential for them to dominate AI technology's supply chain, as the importance of computing power in AI adoption becomes apparent.
