The UK government has announced a new partnership with Google Cloud to help modernise how public services use technology. The agreement was confirmed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle. It will see Google Cloud support the government in replacing ageing IT systems, upgrading cybersecurity, and improving services used by millions.
A big part of the deal is based on moving away from outdated legacy contracts that have made it hard for departments to update systems. These contracts often trap organisations in old servers that are slow, expensive, and vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to the department, over a quarter of public sector systems still run on this old tech. In the NHS and some police forces, this goes up to 70%.
Google Cloud will support public services such as the NHS and local councils by helping them switch to newer and safer cloud-based systems. These will be ‘secure-by-design’, meaning they are built with safety features from the start. This is expected to cut costs and give government departments more flexibility in future.
What Will Civil Servants Learn?
The partnership also has a training plan intended on helping civil servants gain new digital and AI skills. The goal is to train up to 100,000 public sector workers by 2030. This supports the Prime Minister’s target for one in ten civil servants to work in tech roles by that year.
Google Cloud will run a training programme alongside the wider work. The aim is to make sure public sector staff can keep up with modern tools and better support the people who rely on services every day.
Training civil servants in this way will help speed up digital upgrades and improve the delivery of services, from bin collections to tax returns. It could also reduce the need for expensive outside consultants, making government services more efficient.
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What Will Google DeepMind Do?
Google DeepMind, the AI research team within Google, will work closely with technical experts in government. Their job will be to help test and spread new types of technology across the public sector. One area of interest is quantum computing, which could one day solve problems much faster than current machines.
While quantum computing is still developing, both parties plan to explore how it could be used in public services in the long term. In the meantime, DeepMind will help improve how government teams manage data, improve their systems, and support areas like scientific research.
Google Cloud is also considering building a single platform that can monitor cyber security threats across all public sector systems. This could give departments faster warning of problems and help them act more quickly when systems are under threat.
What Does The Government Want With Tech Companies?
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle is due to announce the partnership at Google’s Cloud Summit in London. Ahead of the event, he explained why the government is now looking to strike better deals with technology providers.
Kyle said that before this kind of agreement, hundreds of public sector bodies were negotiating alone, often without the power to demand better prices or service. Now, the government wants to negotiate as one group, which gives it stronger leverage when working with companies.
He put it that big technology companies need to bring their best ideas and fair pricing to the table. The government hopes this new way of working will lead to better deals for the taxpayer and improve how people interact with public services.
Tara Brady, President, Google Cloud EMEA, said, “Google Cloud is proud to be a strategic partner of the UK government as they embark on this ambitious digital transformation. As the country evolves, the flexibility of Google Cloud will help the government lead the AI era.
“We are deeply committed to empowering the UK public sector with the technical skills and innovative AI-powered solutions required to build a truly modern, secure and efficient digital future, delivering tangible benefits to citizens and driving significant economic value.”
