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Sovereign AI Fund

Asked by Callum AndersonLabourDepartment for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeTabled Answered 7 September 2026UIN 24347

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that companies receiving support through the Sovereign AI fund retain their (i) headquarters, (ii) intellectual property and (iii) key research functions in the UK over the long-term.

Answered by Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

Sovereign AI is designed to help the most promising UK AI companies start, scale and remain anchored in the UK. Before any equity investment, the Fund assesses a company's UK nexus, including its domicile, headquarters, key executives, technical staff and R&D activity.

Rather than attaching bespoke anchoring conditions, which would make companies less competitive and weaken the Fund's objectives, the Fund’s integrated offer of capital, compute, talent and procurement is designed to make the UK the most attractive place to build. This offer will help crowd in follow-on finance, government demand and wider ecosystem support as these companies scale.

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