$5bn boost to accelerate Britain’s AI future

Oracle UK cloud has announced plans to invest US$5 billion to expand its cloud infrastructure in Britain over the next five years.

The March 17 announcement aims to support the UK Government’s priorities for what it terms on AI-driven future, and meet global demand for Oracle’s cloud computing services.

The investment will expand Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s (OCI) footprint, offering access to UK organisations in healthcare, financial services, defence, retail, and manufacturing.

These include sovereign AI capabilities, multi-cloud solutions, and generative AI capabilities.

Advancing the UK’s AI vision

Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, spoke of the investment in Britain’s technology sector. “The UK is determined to lead the world in AI innovation, and today’s announcement from Oracle is a testament to our nation’s growing strength in this sector. By working with […] Oracle, we’re […] creating high-skilled jobs, fuelling innovation, and securing our place as a world-leading tech powerhouse.”

Distributed cloud offerings

The Oracle UK cloud investment will enhance the company’s cloud offerings in Britain, which include:

1. Public cloud: Hyperscale public cloud regions serving organisations of all sizes, including those requiring strict EU sovereignty controls.
2. Dedicated cloud: Letting customers run OCI cloud services in their data centres with OCI Dedicated Region, while partners can resell and customise cloud services using Oracle Alloy.
3. Hybrid cloud: Delivering cloud services on-premises via Oracle Exadata Cloud@Customer and Compute Cloud@Customer.
4. Multi-cloud: OCI is physically deployed in major hyperscale cloud providers (AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure), offering natively integrated Oracle database services.

AI capabilities and applications

Oracle recently introduced over 50 AI agents in its Fusion Cloud Applications Suite, designed to handle repetitive tasks across finance, supply chain, HR, sales, marketing, and service.

With the $5 billion Oracle UK cloud investment, the company aims to extend AI innovation to more organisations in Britain.

The expanded infrastructure will enable organisations to use Oracle’s AI capabilities to increase automation, and potentially improve operational efficiency.

Industry impact and economic benefits

The investment is expected to have far-impacts on different sectors of the UK economy:

• Healthcare: Cloud infrastructure will support medical research, patient data management, and AI-driven diagnostic tools.
• Financial services: Cloud services will bolster security, compliance, and innovation in banking and insurance.
• Manufacturing: Cloud-based AI solutions will optimise production processes and supply chains.
• Retail: Analytics and AI will enable personalised customer experiences and efficient inventory management.
• Public sector: Government agencies will benefit from sovereign cloud capabilities designed to meet the public sector’s security and compliance requirements.

The expansion underscores Oracle’s multi-cloud strategy, which allows customers to use Oracle’s database services on various cloud platforms, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.

(Photo by Unsplash)

See also: Oracle in talks to establish cloud hub in Batam, Indonesia

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