Applications are open for high-potential UK startups to access the AI Research Resource (AIRR).

AIRR is the UK’s national AI compute capability, powered by the country’s most advanced supercomputers, including Isambard and DAWN. Capability is available to a small number of strategically significant AI companies.

For founders building at the frontier, compute is often a defining constraint. The ability to train models, run experiments, and iterate quickly can determine whether a company leads or falls behind.

Sovereign AI unlocks access to this infrastructure, giving startups the tools they need to build, scale and compete globally.

Some of the most important inputs for AI startups don't exist yet. Or don't exist at the quality, scale or accessibility you need. These are the things that shape how fast you can move, what you can build, and whether you can do it in the UK.

The Strategic Assets Programme is how we fix that. It's the grants arm of the Sovereign AI Fund — sitting alongside our equity investment, compute access, talent visas and procurement support. We use it to fund projects that help you and companies like yours move faster, go further, and build from here.

Right now we're focused on two types of asset:
• High-quality AI datasets
• Autonomous lab infrastructure

You can build the asset yourself. You can work as part of a consortium with universities, research organisations or other partners. In some cases, others might be best placed to build it. What matters is that the asset gets built, that it's accessible to the founders and firms who need it, and that it makes the UK the best place to scale.

This is part of how we back founders — not just with capital, but by building the infrastructure around you that helps you win.