Microsoft unveils $30bn UK investment as Trump arrives for state visit

Microsoft on Tuesday pledged to invest $30 billion in the United Kingdom over the next four years, coinciding with US President Donald Trump’s arrival in Britain for his second state visit.

The package includes $15 billion in capital spending to expand cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure, as well as the development of what the company says will be the country’s largest supercomputer.

“We’re committed to creating new opportunity for people and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,” Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said in a post on X. “That’s why today we announced a $30 billion investment in the UK.”

The announcement comes as Trump, accompanied by a delegation of top US tech executives, prepares to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his country residence on Thursday. London is banking on the visit to secure much-needed investment as it seeks to revive a struggling economy.

The moves highlight Britain’s growing role in global AI development. The UK ranks among the world’s top destinations for private AI investment over the past decade, though it still trails far behind the United States and China, according to Stanford University’s 2025 AI Index.

Google also announced on Tuesday a separate £5 billion ($6.8 billion) investment in the UK over two years to support its AI ambitions.

Microsoft, which employs 6,000 staff across the UK in data centres, AI labs, and gaming studios, said additional US-based data centre investments will be unveiled later this week.

Still, the surge of tech investment comes amid ongoing friction between Washington and London over Britain’s digital services tax, which Trump has criticised as discriminatory toward US tech firms and threatened to counter with tariffs.