One in five British firms have moved AI workloads out of the UK because of high power costs, according to research commissioned by CUDO Compute, adding to concerns about the country’s ability to keep more AI activity on home soil.

The survey covered more than 700 senior AI decision-makers across the UK, US and Europe, including 200 in the UK. Among UK respondents, 33% said energy costs were limiting their ability to scale AI operations, while 43% said cost and performance outweighed sovereignty when deciding where to deploy AI.

The findings suggest the UK’s push for AI sovereignty is running up against infrastructure constraints. Businesses may want to keep workloads in domestic or regional markets, but power prices, available land and access to grid capacity are proving more decisive.

Geopolitics is also shaping deployment choices. Among UK respondents, 46% said geopolitical instability was pushing them to keep AI workloads within home markets, compared with 36% across the full sample.

Even so, commercial pressures remain strong. Almost a third of UK organisations (32%) said they were actively considering relocating workloads due to geopolitical pressures, while 45% said data sovereignty, regulatory compliance, or national security concerns were shaping their AI deployment strategy. At the same time, 31% said they were prioritising sovereign or regionally controlled compute even at a higher cost.

Where Workloads Go

When asked which markets looked most attractive for new AI cluster capacity, respondents ranked the US highest, with 72% viewing it positively. India followed at 62% and Eastern Europe at 58%.

Eastern Europe ranked ahead of Western Europe at 45% and the Nordics at 44%. China scored 55%, ahead of Latin America at 40%, the Middle East at 39%, Africa at 38% and APAC at 29%.

The pressure appears sharper for businesses that depend more heavily on compute. Among AI-first businesses, 32% said they would consider moving workloads overseas because of power costs, compared with 18% of enterprise organisations.

That gap suggests companies running the most demanding AI systems may be quickest to shift work to lower-cost locations when domestic operating conditions worsen. For policymakers, it highlights the challenge of matching AI ambitions with the industrial base needed to support them.

Infrastructure Strain

The findings reflect a broader issue in the AI market: infrastructure supply is constrained not only by access to chips and software, but also by physical requirements such as land, energy, cooling and grid access. In that context, electricity costs become a central part of the cost of compute.

CUDO Compute commissioned the research with Censuswide as part of its Land. Power. Compute report. Respondents included decision-makers responsible for AI workload and infrastructure decisions, budget input, vendor selection or active deployment planning. The sample included enterprise businesses with turnover above GBP £50 million and AI-first companies with turnover above GBP £1 million.

Matt Hawkins, chief executive of CUDO Compute, said the UK risked a widening gap between policy goals and operational reality if it did not address infrastructure constraints.

“AI sovereignty is being hotly discussed as a priority for UK organisations, but it only works if the infrastructure exists to support it,” Hawkins said. “What we are seeing is a growing tension between where businesses want to run AI and where they actually can.”

“AI is not abstract software. It is physical infrastructure that depends on power, land, cooling and grid access. When those constraints tighten, economics take over. If it is cheaper or easier to run workloads elsewhere, they will move, regardless of sovereignty ambitions.”

“Right now, every UK boardroom is talking about AI, but almost nobody is talking about the infrastructure needed to power it. Until we close that gap, there will continue to be a disconnect between policy, ambition and reality. The countries that solve this first will shape the future of AI, and the UK still has a window to lead, but it needs to act quickly.”

Revolut has launched an in-app artificial intelligence assistant called AI by Revolut, joining a broader push by banks and fintech groups towards conversational banking.

The assistant, known as AIR, lets customers ask questions about their money by text or voice within the Revolut app. It is designed to handle routine account tasks such as breaking down spending, freezing a lost card, and helping users plan a travel budget without requiring them to navigate multiple menu screens.

The launch puts Revolut alongside other financial groups that are shifting user interaction away from fixed app navigation and towards natural language prompts. Starling has also introduced an AI assistant in its banking app, while payments groups are developing tools that allow software agents to complete transactions on customers’ behalf.

Shift in interface

The change reflects a broader redesign of digital finance products. Rather than asking users to choose functions from menus and tabs, banks are increasingly building chat-based interfaces that aim to complete tasks once a customer describes what they want.

That approach is now spreading beyond customer service. In banking apps, conversational tools are being positioned as a way to manage budgeting, subscriptions, card controls and account information. In payments, the same model is emerging in systems that allow AI agents to discover products, make selections and complete checkout steps.

Visa has outlined a platform intended to connect merchants with AI shopping agents through a single integration. The concept points to a market in which customers could instruct software to reorder household goods or complete routine purchases, while established payment networks continue to process the underlying transaction.

Other parts of the sector are making similar changes. Business payments platform Melio has introduced an AI assistant for accountants and small companies that answers questions about bills, vendors and cash flow. At the same time, the Bank of America has developed an internal AI tool for staff in its global payments operation.

Competitive pressure

For consumer finance groups, the race to introduce conversational services is also becoming a competitive issue. Apps that reduce the number of steps required to complete common tasks may improve customer retention, particularly as digital banks compete on ease of use as much as on price and product range.

Revolut’s move comes as fintech groups try to make their apps the main place where customers manage day-to-day finances. By embedding an assistant that can answer questions and perform simple actions, Revolut is trying to keep users within its system for a larger share of their money-management tasks.

The stakes go beyond convenience. If conversational tools become the standard way to interact with banking and payments services, the companies that control those interfaces could gain greater influence over customer behaviour, product discovery and transaction flow.

Regulatory focus

Supervisors are also paying closer attention to the use of AI in finance. In the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority has begun examining how agentic AI could reshape retail financial services and affect consumers and markets. In the US, authorities have issued guidance intended to help financial institutions manage AI-related risk.

That scrutiny reflects a core concern across the sector. As banks and fintech groups move more customer activity into AI-led systems, they must show that the tools can operate safely, protect data and give users confidence that tasks are being completed correctly.

Privacy is likely to remain central to that debate, particularly as conversational systems sit between customers and sensitive financial information. The more these assistants are used for payments, transfers and account management, the more questions will arise about data handling, audit trails and accountability when something goes wrong.

For now, the most immediate effect is a visible change in how financial products are designed. The app screen is becoming less a map of buttons and more a prompt box, as banks and payments companies bet that customers will increasingly prefer to type or say what they need rather than search for the right feature.

Taken together, these shifts suggest that, for many routine tasks, natural language may become the main interface for digital money services.

PATS has launched a Hosted Buyer Programme for its 2026 trade show, with registration now open.

The scheme will arrange pre-scheduled meetings between senior retail buyers and exhibitors at the pet and aquatics event, which returns to the NEC Birmingham for three days in September 2026.

Aimed at international decision-makers and leading pet and aquatic retailers, the programme will give selected buyers a structured way to meet suppliers and review products in person, rather than relying on informal networking during the show.

The move marks a format change for PATS, which has positioned itself as a key UK trade event for the pet and aquatics sector. The show brings together retailers, distributors and suppliers across categories including aquatics, exotics and mainstream pet care.

Buyer focus

Under the Hosted Buyer Programme, meetings between buyers and exhibitors will be arranged in advance. The model is intended to support strategic sourcing and export activity while helping participants use their time at the show more efficiently.

Applicants must meet qualifying conditions to take part, and places will be allocated to selected participants. Interested buyers are being encouraged to apply early.

The programme follows a strong 2025 event, when attendance and exhibitor numbers rose sharply, prompting a more formal buyer engagement model for 2026.

“PATS 2025 was a landmark, record-breaking year,” said Ian Reynolds, Event Director, PATS.

According to the organisers, visitor numbers rose by 70% in 2025, while international attendance increased by 169%.

Reynolds said a record 445 exhibitors from 15 countries took part in the last edition, underlining the growing scale of the show and the value of a scheduled buyer programme for suppliers and retail delegates navigating a larger exhibition floor.

“The event saw a 70% surge in visitor numbers and a massive 169% increase in international attendance. A record 445 exhibitors from 15 countries participated. Building on this momentum, the 2026 Hosted Buyer Programme will offer selected participants exclusive benefits and a curated, efficient, and cost-effective experience tailored to their specific requirements,” said Reynolds.

Sector reach

PATS is focused on the specialist pet and aquatics trade, where exhibitions remain an important route for product discovery and wholesale buying. For suppliers, access to retail buyers through scheduled meetings can make trade events more commercially predictable. For buyers, it offers a faster way to compare ranges and hold discussions with multiple brands in one place.

The programme is described as a procurement platform for leading retailers in the sector. It is also intended to help brands build international links by making structured meetings central to the event experience.

That international element is notable in light of last year’s growth in overseas attendance. If sustained, it could strengthen PATS’ role not only as a UK trade exhibition but also as a meeting point for cross-border buying and supplier relationships in the pet and aquatics market.

The programme will sit alongside the wider trade show, where exhibitors present new lines and meet trade customers. The event spans a broad range of the sector, from traditional pet care to aquatics and exotics, giving buyers access to multiple product segments under one roof.

PATS is organised by Raccoon Media Group, which runs specialist events and media brands. The introduction of a hosted buyer format brings the show more closely into line with exhibition models used across other business-to-business sectors, where curated meetings match major buyers with selected exhibitors.

For the 2026 edition, the next step is the application process for buyers seeking a place in the programme, with entries screened against set criteria.