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UK Government Secures Unpaid Google Cloud Partnership to Overhaul Public Sector IT

The partnership will equip 100,000 civil servants with AI expertise to drive migration off costly legacy systems

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Google has been asked to help government departments leave existing “ball and chain” tech contracts, which the government says means they are “trapped using old servers

Overview

  • Government has formalized an unpaid collaboration with Google Cloud and DeepMind to migrate core departments such as police forces, NHS trusts and local councils from outdated IT systems to cloud infrastructure.
  • As part of the deal, Google DeepMind will deploy AI specialists across departments to integrate advanced tools aimed at boosting civil service productivity.
  • A parallel training programme will upskill 100,000 civil servants in digital and artificial intelligence technologies by 2030 to address skills gaps identified by the Public Accounts Committee.
  • Early plans include the development of a consolidated cybersecurity monitoring platform to enhance threat detection and response across government.
  • Ministers estimate that replacing legacy technology with agile cloud solutions could unlock up to £45 billion in efficiency savings and reduce reliance on inflexible procurement contracts.