Vodafone backs AI platform to keep government data off foreign systems

Vodafone Business has joined a coalition developing Britain’s first AI model to keep sensitive government and business data under government control.

The project will provide a secure AI platform that government departments, defence organisations and operators of critical infrastructure can use without sensitive information being processed on foreign-controlled systems.

An MoU has been signed with London AI company Cosine to help develop Lumen Sovereign. This is an AI model that will be built, trained and operated entirely in the UK.

The project is backed by the UK Government’s £500 million Sovereign AI programme. It is aimed at organisations handling highly sensitive information. These include government departments, defence, healthcare, financial services and operators of critical national infrastructure.

Lumen Sovereign is intended to run on UK-based computing infrastructure, unlike AI services hosted overseas It can operate in isolated networks that are physically disconnected from the internet. The aim is to reduce the security and national security risks of sending sensitive data to foreign-owned AI platforms or cloud services.

Vodafone Business will contribute expertise in secure communications, cloud services and cyber security. Cosine will lead development of the AI model. The companies will also work with other coalition members on security standards, governance and potential commercial applications.

The model is expected to be trained using the Isambard-AI supercomputer, with deployment targeted by the end of this year. Isambard-AI is claimed to be the UK’s most powerful public AI supercomputer, operated by the University of Bristol and housed at the National Composites Centre. It is described as among the world’s fastest and greenest supercomputers, dedicated to accelerating medical, climate, and AI safety research and is backed by a £225 million government investment, it

The announcement follows increased government investment in domestic AI infrastructure to ensure the UK has its own strategic AI capability rather than relying on technology built and hosted overseas.

Alistair Pullen, CEO, Cosine, said: “Lumen Sovereign is about ensuring the UK has the capability, confidence and control to build frontier AI on its own terms. Vodafone Business brings deep expertise in secure connectivity, critical infrastructure and enterprise deployment, making it an important partner as we co-design Lumen Sovereign with industry.”

 Nick Gliddon, Business Director, VodafoneThree said: “By joining Cosine’s industry coalition, Vodafone Business is helping to advance an important initiative to establish sovereign AI capabilities in the UK, working alongside other industry leaders to create the trusted digital foundations businesses and public sector organisations need to innovate with confidence”.