17 Feb
The whole world is buzzing with excitement over AI. While the U.S. and China are engaged in a veritable “chip war,” billion-dollar initiatives and investments are pouring in, with each country aiming for a share of the vast potential of Artificial Intelligence. Recently, Donald Trump announced the Stargate project, through which the U.S. will build AI infrastructure worth up to $500 billion. On the other hand, China announced an $8.2 billion investment fund, created through a public-private partnership, adding to the $13.8 billion fund launched last year.
In February 2025, Europe responded forcefully. During the “Artificial Intelligence Action Summit,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched InvestAI, an initiative through which the European Union will mobilize €200 billion for AI investments, including a €20 billion fund for the development of gigafactories, and the construction of 12 next-generation AI hubs.
Romania has entered this race timidly, launching its national AI strategy in 2024. Last year, the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca announced the construction of the first Artificial Intelligence research center in Romania, through an investment of over 105 million RON. Some countries, like the United Kingdom, recognize the profound implications of AI’s impact on humanity’s evolution and are mobilizing exemplarily. In January 2025, the UK took a decisive step in the global race for Artificial Intelligence by launching its national strategy, the “AI Opportunities Action Plan.” What lessons can Romania take from the United Kingdom’s example?
What is the “UK AI Opportunities Action Plan 2025”?
The strategy fully adopts the 50 recommendations made by Matt Clifford CBE (tech entrepreneur and chairman of the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency – AIRR). It focuses on infrastructure development, flexible regulations, and accelerating economic growth. With a €16.6 billion commitment from the private sector and the prospect of over 13,000 new jobs, this plan not only drives innovation but also strengthens the UK’s position as a strategic hub for AI. This complements the €29.7 billion investment already announced in October 2024 at the International Investment Summit.
In the introductory section of the “Plan,” we learn that although the United Kingdom is the third-largest AI market globally and hosts an impressive number of talents and leading companies such as Google DeepMind, ARM, and Wayve, a new strategy is necessary. Why? The UK risks losing ground to the rapid AI advancements of the US and China. At the same time, “The risks from underinvesting [in AI] and underpreparing, though, seem much greater than the risks from the opposite”, the document states. The “AI Opportunities Action Plan” is divided into three sections, each corresponding to a government commitment. Below, we have summarized the concrete measures that the United Kingdom will take in the coming period.
- Investments in the foundation of AI
The United Kingdom needs world-class computing and data infrastructure, access to talent, and regulation. As a result, the government aims to ensure access to a sufficient number of data centers and computing power to support innovation and drive the development of future industries. To achieve this goal, it will invest in Sovereign AI compute (owned by or allocated to the public sector) to respond quickly to national priorities such as AI research and the support of critical services. At the same time, it will promote domestic computing (capabilities owned and operated by private companies), which will generate AI-based jobs and businesses. Additionally, it will develop international partnerships to access complementary resources (“international compute”) and support joint AI research.
In practice, the United Kingdom will develop, within six months, a long-term plan for the country’s AI infrastructure needs, supported by a 10-year investment commitment. Other measures include the following:
- Starting in the next six months, AIRR’s capacity will be expanded by at least 20 times by 2030.
- Sovereign computing resources will be strategically allocated through the appointment of “AIRR Program Directors” with extended autonomy, who will focus on specific missions.
- “AI Growth Zones” (AIGZ) will be created to facilitate the rapid construction of AI data centers.
- International partnerships will be established to increase the types of computing capabilities available to researchers and to stimulate collaborations in AI research.
- As developers need access to quality data, the UK will unlock public and private datasets. In this regard, a National Data Library (NDL) will be created, which will identify datasets with the greatest economic and social potential. NDL will also create best practices for the secure publication of datasets that can be used to train AI.
- Inefficient regulation could hinder AI adoption in key sectors. Regulatory authorities will be required to publish annual reports on how they have supported innovation and AI-driven growth in their fields.
In addition, the United Kingdom aims to train, retain, and attract the next generation of AI scientists and entrepreneurs. In the short term, this means training “tens of thousands of AI professionals by 2030,” including through “alternative routes” such as internships and employer-led professional training programs. The UK also aims to take inspiration from Singapore, which created a national online platform for AI skills development, and South Korea, which integrated digital literacy and AI into its education system.
- Accelerating AI adoption across the economy
The United Kingdom plans to make AI a central element of how services are delivered and productivity is achieved. At the same time, the government will focus on its role as a major user and client of AI services/products to support the adoption of new technologies in the private sector. To achieve these goals, the UK will adopt a flexible approach, “SCAN → PILOT → SCALE.”
- SCAN means the government will constantly monitor the evolution of AI technologies and learn about their new use cases to integrate them effectively into its projects. In practice, this means appointing an AI specialist for each mission, creating a government team that analyzes the market, and collaborating with AI providers to understand and influence the development of future technologies.
- PILOT refers to the rapid development of prototypes and the swift procurement of public services to launch pilot projects in high-impact areas. How? By creating a consistent framework of best practices that evolves over time for the development and procurement of AI technologies, rapid prototyping, and testing for key projects. Additionally, by providing an efficient experimentation environment with quick access to datasets, language models, and computing resources, and a fast, phased AI procurement process that facilitates the rapid funding of pilot projects and reduces bureaucracy as investments grow.
- SCALE focuses on expanding and applying successful AI solutions across various fields so that they can help citizens and improve productivity and efficiency. To achieve this, the government will support successful pilot projects, fund them, and expand them nationwide. This process also includes national AI tenders to enable rapid adoption across different sectors.
- “Position the UK to be an AI maker, not an AI taker”
By 2029, the UK government estimates that AI will become a dominant factor in economic performance and national security, which is why it will support research and development of frontier AI capabilities, including in emerging fields such as AI for science, robotics, and Embodied AI. In this context, UK Sovereign AI will be created, a government-supported research lab that will collaborate with the private sector to maximize economic benefits. UK Sovereign AI will invest directly in companies, create AI Growth Zones, and form international partnerships. It will also ensure responsible access to the country’s most valuable datasets and research, support UK AI organizations in priority national projects, and attract external talent, including by recruiting promising founders or executive directors. Furthermore, it will facilitate deep collaboration with the national security community.
Take a look at the full text of the UK AI Opportunities Action Plan.
What can we learn from the UK?
The UK AI Opportunities Action Plan provides a remarkable example of an advanced AI strategy, similar to those in countries like Germany and France (). However, unlike these countries, the UK places a stronger emphasis on the practical details of implementing the national AI policy. Romania seems to have fallen into the same trap: starting in 2024, our country also has a national strategy in the AI field but still lacks a clear implementation plan.
In this context, we see several directions to learn from. Countries with advanced AI strategies invest heavily in research, development, and the implementation of Artificial Intelligence technologies, establishing clear policies for their integration into essential areas such as education, healthcare, industry, and national security. These strategies promote strong partnerships between the public and private sectors (including internationally), attract talent and resources, and create a legal framework that supports innovation. Additionally, such an approach involves consistent investments in digital infrastructure and data management, facilitating access to cutting-edge technologies and maximizing the economic and social impact of AI.
Although we cannot match the UK in terms of AI investments, as we rely heavily on European funds (through programs such as the PNRR, Digital Europe, and Horizon Europe), Romania can leverage its strengths. These include a tradition of mathematics and computer science education, which has trained hundreds of thousands of experts working at the largest international tech companies, as well as high-speed internet infrastructure, essential for the development of the IT industry. Additionally, Romania benefits from lower labor and energy costs compared to other European countries, a stable energy network, and great potential in the green energy industry.
