AMD will invest $2 billion in Britain over the next five years to build artificial intelligence supercomputer infrastructure. With the British government accelerating efforts to foster the AI semiconductor industry, AMD is also stepping up its presence by unveiling a large-scale investment plan to expand the research and industrial ecosystem.

On June 8 local time, blockchain media outlet Cryptopolitan reported that AMD announced at London Tech Week that it plans to invest $2 billion in Britain over the next five years. The funds are set to be used for AI research programmes in Britain and supercomputer construction projects.

AMD will build its first supercomputer, Zenith, at the University of Cambridge. The second system, Sunrise, will be jointly developed with the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Sunrise will be designed as a supercomputer specialised for fusion research.

Nuclear fusion is a next-generation energy technology that produces electricity by recreating on Earth the reaction that occurs inside the sun. If commercialised successfully, it is expected to become a large-scale source of clean energy with no carbon emissions. AMD projected that once completed, Sunrise will deliver world-leading performance among supercomputers dedicated to fusion research.

AMD Chief Executive Lisa Su (리사 수) said the investment will increase access to computing resources needed for the development of Britain’s “sovereign AI.” It means the company aims to contribute beyond simply supplying hardware by strengthening AI research capabilities and the industrial base in Britain.

The announcement also aligns with the British government’s strategy to foster the AI industry. On the same day, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at London Tech Week that the government will start buying AI chips developed by British startups. The British government plans to use public procurement to support domestic technology firms and secure national AI capabilities. It also allocated a budget of about 400 million pounds for this.

Markets view AMD’s Britain investment announcement as an expansion strategy unveiled during a recent correction in semiconductor stocks. AMD shares fell nearly 11 percent in a single session on June 6, but the move was driven more by selling across the AI semiconductor sector after Broadcom’s earnings report than by AMD-specific issues. AMD shares later rose about 2 percent before the market open, recouping part of the drop. Jeff Kilburg, CEO of KKM Financial, said semiconductor stocks have been overheated, but the broader trend of AI adoption remains intact.

Earnings are also cited as a backdrop to the expansion strategy. AMD’s first-quarter revenue this year was $10.2 billion, up 38 percent from a year earlier. Net profit rose 95 percent over the same period.

The data centre business led the growth. Data centre revenue was $5.8 billion, up 57 percent year on year, accounting for more than half of total revenue. Revenue in the client and gaming segment rose 23 percent to $3.6 billion, and the embedded segment also continued to grow, posting $873 million.

AMD has also been accelerating efforts to secure major customers. Early this year, it signed a $60 billion chip supply contract with Meta, and in the process Meta agreed to take a stake in AMD. OpenAI also signed a similar contract last year, and it is reported to be structured so it could secure up to a 10 percent stake.

AMD’s market capitalisation is currently about $850 billion, a level at which a further share price rise of less than 20 percent would push it past $1 trillion. That has drawn attention to whether the Britain investment and data centre growth will become the next drivers of gains in AMD’s corporate value.