In March, we expanded into a larger, upgraded office at the Culham Innovation Centre, the Oxfordshire headquarters of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). Culham has been announced as the first of the UK government’s proposed AI Growth Zones (AIGZs), part of the the UK AI Opportunities Action Plan to accelerate AI infrastructure development, investment and innovation. We are delighted to be located at the heart of this dynamic environment, enabling us to strengthen our partnership with UKAEA while continuing to support key projects with other clients based at the Innovation Centre, driving forward AI advancements in this pioneering hub.

The UK Government’s recent launch of the AI Opportunities Action Plan is an ambitious strategic move to solidify Britain’s position as a global AI leader. With a £14 billion commitment to infrastructure and job creation, the plan recognises the foundational role of compute power, data, and skills in the future of AI. Since our inception, we at digiLab have been championing transformative change in AI, so we’re pleased to see government initiatives to drive change in this field. It is important to note that the plan lays out a very broad vision, recognising that there is more than one route for the UK to reach its AI leadership goals.

Compute Power: A key component of the plan is a twenty-fold increase in public compute capacity to harness AI, beginning with the construction of a new supercomputer. This large-scale, high-power computing capability is important for some AI applications, such as training massive language models or advancing scientific research. However, it is not the only way forward.

At digiLab, we have developed our probabilistic AI solutions to provide value in situations where data is sparse and computing power is limited. Our focus on lightweight models challenges the notion that AI always demands big data and supercomputers. In reality, there is a diverse spectrum of AI methods, and investments should support the full range of more efficient, adaptable AI techniques that do not rely solely on large-scale computation.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, the future of AI infrastructure should balance both strategies. Investing in high-scale computing is important, but so is fostering innovation in more efficient AI models that can deliver value without massive computational costs and the corresponding questions around energy use and carbon emissions.

National Data Library: The creation of the National Data Library is another significant move, aiming to make public data more accessible for AI-driven innovation. Unlocking these data sets could prove to be transformative, particularly in fields like fusion, where collaborative efforts can drive breakthroughs for clean, limitless energy – a mission we at digiLab are deeply committed to. However, our dedication goes beyond solely innovation and extends to ensuring that AI remains trustworthy. This open data sharing should be pursued only with careful ethical consideration, guided by public trust and consent. High priority should be given to ensure responsible data usage and data privacy to make the UK a trustworthy AI leader.

Skills, Talent and Retention: A key pillar of the AI Opportunities Action Plan is expanding the AI talent pool by equipping individuals with the skills needed to harness AI effectively. At digiLab, this has been our mission from the start – helping engineers understand how to adopt AI and apply it to their most complex challenges. Our long-standing partnership with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is a prime example, as we continue to support scientists and engineers using AI methods to address their complex engineering challenges such as plasma physics, digital twinning, modelling & simulation, real-time reactor control and materials testing. In addition, we actively contribute to talent development by recruiting summer interns and fresh graduates into the digiLab team, helping to nurture the next generation of AI innovators.

Beyond skills development, our flagship product, the Uncertainty Engine, plays a crucial role in making AI more accessible. This no-code agentic AI platform combines data, models and workflows to connect a trustworthy AI digital thread through an organisation. This enables individuals and their teams to solve complex problems in a secure and auditable platform, to make high-stakes decisions in an uncertain world, and to shorten time to value. The use of the Uncertainty Engine lowers the barriers to AI adoption and enables teams to upskill faster.

Finally, the AI Opportunities Action Plan emphasises the importance of diversifying the talent pool, particularly by attracting more women into AI. At digiLab, we have always been committed to this cause – 37% of our workforce is female, a significant achievement compared to the UK average of 26%. Inclusivity is not just an initiative for us, it’s embedded in our culture and we believe it is fundamental to the future of AI.

The UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan is a bold strategy, setting the stage for significant advancements in AI. However, as the UK positions itself as an AI leader, it must embrace the full diversity of AI development. By fostering both big-compute, data-heavy AI as well as lightweight, probabilistic models that operate efficiently with limited data, the UK can truly establish itself as a global AI powerhouse. At digiLab, we remain committed to driving these innovations forward, ensuring that the UK can realise the full potential of AI across all sectors.

About digiLab

Having grown from a small team of expert mathematicians and data scientists, digiLab is now a leading AI company that empowers organisations in highly regulated or safety-critical industries to solve their complex engineering, infrastructure or data challenges.

As world leaders in uncertainty quantification, based on years of cutting-edge academic research, digiLab’s team of 30+ experts specialise in areas with uncertain or sparse data, teaching teams how to solve their grand challenges using digiLab’s platform.

digiLab’s platform is a no-code agentic AI platform that combines data, models and workflows to connect a trustworthy AI digital thread through an organisation. digiLab enables you and your teams to solve complex problems in a secure and auditable platform to build decision intelligence and shorten time to value.