The UK government wants to grow the country’s native AI industry to reduce its dependence on systems made by foreign companies.

In the Budget on October 28, Chancellor John Healey announced more money – £60 million – for the national Sovereign AI Fund to support promising UK AI companies.

The government launched the fund in April 2026, committing £500 million at the time to boost the UK’s AI capability. Based in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), it operates much like a government backed venture capital fund.

But this unit offers more than money. Companies can gain access to some of the UK’s most powerful AI supercomputers, including Isambard-AI, alongside research support and opportunities to work with the government.

The UK government initiatives are part of a wider global push towards sovereign AI. This term refers to countries strengthening their ability to develop and use the AI technologies they rely on while retaining greater control over them. There is concern about the risks of dependence on foreign suppliers – and the potential disruption to UK infrastructure if something were to happen to one of those suppliers.

But what does sovereign AI mean in practice – and can the UK learn anything from what’s going on elsewhere in the world?

For some, sovereignty means controlling everything needed to develop and run AI. For others, it means building domestic AI models or keeping data within national borders. A recent analysis published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace shows how complex this can be.

AI depends on computer chips, data, electricity, skilled workers, internet connections, and........

© The Conversation