Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial assistance they are providing for the construction of data centres to expand computing capabilities for artificial intelligence.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is encouraging growth in the data centre sector by addressing barriers to building. This includes changes to planning rules, cross-sectoral power reforms to reduce connection timelines and launching AI Growth Zones.
As part of the over £2 billion Spending Review settlement for the AI Action Plan, we have committed over £1 billion to expand the AI Research Resource, positioning the UK as a leader in high-performance AI computing, driving global innovation and scientific discovery. We’ve also announced that Scotland will host the UK’s most powerful supercomputer, backed by up to £750 million in additional investment.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have received about the impact of the loss of the Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre following its sale.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The decision to sell the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre was made by VMIC UK Ltd's Board of Directors. The facility was subsequently sold to Catalent. Once completed, it is intended that the facility will be capable of producing a range of therapeutics and vaccines.
Officials regularly engage with industry stakeholders to understand the wider landscape and implications for vaccine development and manufacturing in the UK and will continue to do so.