UK gov report to propose special zones for datacenters, 'AI visas'
UK government is to recommend streamlining the visa process for those with AI skills and the creation of special zones where it will be easier to build datacenters and any infrastructure they depend on.
A commissioned report, sent to the administration last month and due to be officially published in November, contains a number of recommendations to help advance Britain's tech sector, including making the country a more attractive destination for those with AI expertise.
According to the Financial Times, this "AI Opportunities Action Plan" was written by tech entrepreneur Matt Clifford, appointed in July by the new Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle as an advisor to identify ways to boost Britian's AI sector.
One of the areas of concern among current industry chiefs is said to be the "lengthy bureaucracy" and cost involved in hiring skilled people from abroad, and so smoothing the visa process is expected to be one of the recommendations.
Almost as if by coincidence, this is exactly the same message that former Google chief Eric Schmidt delivered to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a debate at the government's International Investment Summit in London earlier this month.
