The UK’s ambition – AI superpower
The UK is determined to be an AI superpower. The government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan and AI Growth Zones are accelerating research, new data centres and advanced computing nationwide.
Billions of pounds in investment are already pouring in. The US-UK Technology Prosperity Deal alone commits £31bn from leading tech and AI firms.
But there’s a missing link. Without ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth fibre, data can’t move at scale and AI growth stalls. So how ready are the UK’s fibre networks for AI?
We surveyed 300 data centre operators, enterprise IT leaders and local government stakeholders. Their responses reveal both the risks and the opportunities ahead.
The fibre challenge – what the research shows
The findings highlight a shared concern: fibre availability is a critical barrier to AI growth:
- 82% of data centre operators have delayed site builds or expansions due to fibre availability.
- 89% of local government stakeholders report digital projects delayed by fibre gaps.
- 45% of enterprises cite fibre as the key bottleneck holding back AI and digital infrastructure.
Almost half of local authorities (46%) say their region isn’t fully ready to support AI and data centres.
Yet regional hubs are emerging as the next growth engines. The Midlands and the North are fast becoming corridors of AI investment. Scotland and the North of England are uniquely positioned as a bridge between hyperscale clusters in North America and Europe, especially in the Nordics, where abundant renewable energy is driving growth.
AI is also pushing computing to the edge. By 2030, almost all data centre operators (97%) expect up to half of their UK capacity to sit at the edge, dispersed across regional and local sites.
How can these growing hubs be connected? Without resilient, high capacity fibre between regions, the UK risks falling behind in the global AI race. But that risk also highlights a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The fibre opportunity – building the foundation of UK AI
From data centres and enterprises to local government, the leaders we surveyed are united on the way forward: new fibre backbones are critical to unlocking AI growth.
Almost all respondents (95%+) said these projects would boost AI and data centre growth. And more than half of local authorities said such projects would be transformative for their regions.
The opportunity is clear: building national fibre backbones is essential for the UK to achieve its AI ambitions.
Download the full report for insights on:
- Why fibre is the foundation of the UK’s AI future
- How data centre operators, enterprises and local authorities see the risks and opportunities
- The role of new backbone projects in transforming UK competitiveness
