The first companies are set to receive support from the UK’s £500 million Sovereign AI.
Sovereign AI will invest directly in the UK’s most promising AI startups, help them scale quickly, and give them the support they need to compete with the best in the world.
The first beneficiaries are working on technologies that could transform daily life – from tackling devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, to building AI systems and computer chips that push the limits of what today’s technology can do.
Sovereign AI’s first equity investment will be in the AI infrastructure startup Callosum, while 6 further startups will receive access to some of the UK’s foremost supercomputing capacity through the Unit.
Startups backed by Sovereign AI will gain access to support normally inaccessible for them. This includes fully funded access to the UK’s largest AI supercomputers, with up to 1 million GPU hours available per startup - providing the horsepower needed to help train state of the art AI models.
Every company receiving investment will get visas decisions within a working day, plus access to an initial 10 cost-free visas for the world’s top R&D talent to come and work for them in the UK.
Start-ups will also receive government support navigating access to data, early procurement opportunities, independent product validation and routes into new approaches to regulation.
Prima Mente is using AI to decode the languages of biology - from DNA sequence to gene expression and epigenetic regulation - to better understand and tackle brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Working with Oxford, Imperial, and the University of Edinburgh to build biological foundation models at the frontier of AI and life sciences.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: "We believe in Britain and we are betting on Britain. We are backing our brilliant innovators and entrepreneurs so we seize the benefits of AI to reshape Britain for the benefit of all.
"Sovereign AI is unlike anything government has ever done before. Its unique approach will help break down the barriers that have too often held back British enterprise and innovation. This is how we ensure Britain’s economic prosperity and national security in the modern age.
"My message to British founders and innovators is clear - we will ensure you never have to choose between your ambition and your home, because Britain will give you both."
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: "We have the right economic plan – backing business so the technologies of the future are invented, built and deployed here in Britain.
"A thriving domestic AI sector is one of my 3 big choices for the economy, and by supporting strategic national champions we can ensure internationally competitive companies start, scale and stay here in Britain."
