The ministry cited a multi-million pound internal investment from Google Cloud, noting that the US tech giant will hire a dedicated UK team to manage the program [File]
| Photo credit: Reuters
The UK government said on Thursday it had agreed a £400 million ($543 million) contract with Google Cloud under a partnership to share classified information with the United States, days ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump.
The deal “will strengthen secure communications links between the UK and the US, in addition to the broad intelligence and security partnership that our two countries already have,” the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) said.
It added Google Cloud’s latest technologies, including “AI, data analytics, and cybersecurity,” will be used by defense intelligence and national security professionals to increase collaboration.
The ministry acknowledged millions of pounds in in-house investment from Google Cloud, noting that the US tech giant will hire a dedicated UK team to run the program.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the technology “has strict data sovereignty and security controls” that ensure “critical data remains under direct British control”.
Tara Brady, president of Google Cloud EMEA, said the agreement will help the UK government “develop a stable and resilient infrastructure and leverage the latest technology innovations.”
“This partnership will allow the Mod to accelerate its digital modernization efforts while maintaining the highest levels of security and data sovereignty,” she added.
The announcement of the deal comes ahead of Trump’s state visit to the UK next week, with several top US tech executives reportedly lining up to join the American leader.
Published – September 12, 2025 10:57 AM IST
