Google Cloud and Google DeepMind CEOs headline “Gemini for the United Kingdom” event in London, alongside industry leaders from BT Group and WPP
Google Cloud has unveiled a suite of new AI products, training initiatives, and strategic investments aimed at strengthening the United Kingdom’s AI ecosystem. These announcements were made at the exclusive “Gemini for the United Kingdom” event, hosted at Google DeepMind’s London headquarters. The event underscored Google Cloud’s long-term commitment to the UK, highlighted by a $1 billion investment in a state-of-the-art data center set to launch this year, alongside ongoing efforts to drive AI innovation across industries.
Industry Leaders Discuss AI’s Impact
Moderated by British broadcaster Tina Daheley, the panel discussion featured insights from top industry leaders, including Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian and Google DeepMind CEO Sir Demis Hassabis. Joining them were BT Group Chief Executive Allison Kirkby and WPP CEO Mark Read CBE, who shared how AI is transforming their organizations and industries.
“Our deep relationship with Google DeepMind enables us to bring some of the world’s most cutting-edge AI technology to our cloud customers, which range from startups to large enterprises,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. “We’re uniquely able to provide secure, flexible infrastructure; leading AI models; and an open developer platform that integrates with existing IT investments while maintaining security, privacy, and access controls, to organisations in the UK and around the world.”
“I’m really proud of our UK roots, having founded Google DeepMind in London, in large part due to the amazing talent and academic institutions based here,” said Google DeepMind CEO and Co-founder, Demis Hassabis. “As the engine room for Google, through our Gemini models we continue to contribute to the thriving UK tech sector by helping developers and businesses across the UK and worldwide drive breakthroughs with the help of AI.”
Chirp 3 Expands AI Capabilities on Vertex AI
Coinciding with the event, Google Cloud announced the addition of Chirp 3, its latest breakthrough in audio generation, to Vertex AI. Joining Gemini, Imagen, and Veo, Chirp 3 will be available starting next week, offering HD Voices in 31 languages with 248 unique voices and eight speaker options. The advanced speech technology enhances voice applications such as real-time transcription, audiobooks, voice annotation, and sentiment analysis for customer interactions.
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Strengthening UK Data Residency with Google Agentspace
Google Cloud previously introduced UK-based data storage and machine learning capabilities for enterprises using Gemini 1.5 Flash. Expanding on this initiative, Google Agentspace will now support UK data residency, set for release in Q2. Agentspace provides AI-powered assistance to employees, combining Gemini’s reasoning capabilities with Google-quality search and enterprise data integration. Key features include:
- NotebookLM Enterprise: Synthesizes large datasets for deeper insights.
- Multimodal Search Agent: Enables employees to query proprietary data for informed decision-making.
- Custom AI Agents: Empowers teams across departments to leverage AI for research, content creation, and automation.
Expanding AI Skilling Initiatives in the UK
With AI reshaping industries, Google Cloud is intensifying efforts to equip the UK workforce with essential AI skills. Over the past decade, Google has trained more than one million individuals, including students, educators, and business owners, at over 500 locations across the UK. The company has also provided free AI training through Google Digital Garage.
Building on this foundation, Google Cloud is expanding its AI training programs with new free certification opportunities for developers, students, professionals, and higher education institutions. These initiatives include:
- For Developers: 35 free Skills Boost credits per month for AI-focused training and certification.
- For Higher Education: Free Google Cloud Certificates in cybersecurity, data analytics, and generative AI through the Google Career Launchpad program.
- For Students & Professionals: AI learning resources on YouTube, covering all skill levels.
- New Courses: Google Cloud Skills Boost now offers specialized AI courses, including “Introduction to Security in the World of AI,” “Boost Productivity with Gemini in BigQuery,” and “Build Generative AI Agents with Vertex AI and Flutter.”
Supporting AI Startups with Cloud Credits and Training
As more than 60% of UK-based generative AI startups already partner with Google Cloud, the company continues to deepen its support for the nation’s startup ecosystem. Following the launch of the 2025 Google for Startups Accelerator – AI First UK program, Google Cloud announced up to £280,000 in cloud credits for AI startups. Additional benefits include dedicated technical resources, training, and access to Google Cloud’s global network of experts, investors, and partners.
Sofia Fenichell, founder and CEO of StudyHall.AI, a UK-based agentic tutor platform for schools and homes, shared: “Google Cloud has been instrumental in our rapid growth and innovation. Cloud credits have empowered us to scale our infrastructure faster and process books at unprecedented speeds. Google Cloud’s powerful infrastructure has been the key to efficiently training our language models and building a scalable workforce of agentic teaching agents. Expert access and training have also been critical for accelerating our AI development. Moreover, Google Cloud’s global reach and dedication to safety has enabled StudyHall to pioneer child-safe AI guardrails.”
Google Cloud’s Commitment to the UK AI Ecosystem
These initiatives and investments reinforce Google Cloud’s dedication to strengthening the UK’s AI capabilities, empowering businesses, developers, and startups to leverage cutting-edge technology for innovation and growth. As AI continues to evolve, Google Cloud remains at the forefront of providing the infrastructure, tools, and training necessary to drive the next wave of technological advancements in the UK and beyond.
