Trump will be accompanied by a “significant” number of US tech CEOs when he meets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer [File]
| Photo credit: Reuters
Britain and the United States will sign more than $10 billion worth of deals on technology and nuclear projects during US President Donald Trump’s state visit, British and US officials said on Monday.
Trump will be accompanied by a “significant” number of US tech executives when he meets British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his country residence on Thursday, a senior US official said.
They will include the heads of chip giant Nvidia and chatbot maker OpenAI, US media reported.
“This visit will highlight a new science and technology partnership that will include billions of dollars in new investment,” a US official told reporters, including AFP.
“We’re looking at more than ten billion, probably tens of billions, that’s going to happen. We know for sure that it’s definitely more than 10, but there’s a lot out there.”
The two countries will also sign an agreement to accelerate the development of new nuclear energy projects, the British government announced.
The partnership promises faster regulatory approval and a number of new private sector investment deals for nuclear projects as Britain strives to meet its carbon emissions and energy security targets.
Under the agreement, Britain and the United States will use each other’s safety assessments of the new reactor design, which is expected to reduce the time to obtain a nuclear project license to two years from three or four years.
Starmer said the partnership set Britain “on course for a golden age of nuclear energy”.
The two countries will also unveil “advances in defense technology cooperation” and connections between their major financial centers, U.S. officials said.
Trump arrives in Britain late Tuesday for a historic second state visit.
King Charles III receives him at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, before Starmer greets him at his checkers on Thursday.
A US official said there would be a “high-profile presence of several CEOs of American technology companies” who are expected to participate in the Business Roundtable.
The technology investments are happening despite tensions between the Trump administration and Britain over London’s digital tax.
Trump has threatened new tariffs on companies seen as targeting US technology firms.
Meanwhile, the nuclear deal comes as Britain focuses on increasing nuclear power since the start of the war in Ukraine, saying it is necessary for energy security and facing an aging fleet of power plants.
Britain said the partnership agreed to “eliminate all remaining dependencies on Russian nuclear materials by the end of 2028 – further squeezing (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin out of the energy market.”
Several commercial deals were also announced on Monday, including between US company X-Energy and British gas owner Centrica to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors in Hartlepool, northeast England.
US firm Holtec, France’s EDF and UK firm Tritax are set to develop data centres powered by small modular reactors, aiming to reduce the cost and complexity of building nuclear power stations.
The partnership also includes increased collaboration with experimental nuclear propulsion programs—a technology aimed at providing emissions-free electricity without nuclear waste.
Published – September 16, 2025 09:06 AM IST
