The UK government is modernizing public services with Google Cloud and AI

The UK government is working with Google Cloud to modernize public services. The plan focuses on replacing outdated tech, training thousands of civil servants in AI and cloud skills, and improving the delivery of major services like health and policing.

This long-term partnership is meant to cut costs, improve efficiency, and make sure the UK’s public sector is ready to use AI in useful, practical ways.

A deal to modernize UK public services

The announcement was made at the Google Cloud Summit in London. UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle called the agreement “game-changing”. It is focused on fixing long-standing problems, such as legacy systems, high costs, and the slow pace of public sector tech upgrades.

The government believes using cloud and AI across departments can improve how services work, and also reduce spending by billions of pounds over time.

Upskilling 100,000 civil servants in AI and cloud by 2030

As part of the agreement, Google Cloud will provide free training in cloud and AI skills to 100,000 UK public sector workers. The goal is to prepare the workforce for the future and meet the government’s target of having one in ten civil servants working in technology roles by 2030.

Google Cloud’s role isn’t limited to training. It will also work directly with public sector departments that run the UK’s most critical services. That includes the NHS, law enforcement, tax systems, and welfare services.

The aim is better performance, stronger security, and fewer failures. Importantly, it is not a paid contract. It’s a partnership built to avoid the problems of older government software deals, which were often slow, inflexible, and expensive. The structure is designed to help teams upgrade without handing over too much control.

Leveraging Google DeepMind for AI deployment

Experts from DeepMind will help public sector teams apply the latest AI. Their focus is on helping civil servants work more efficiently. This could involve automating simple tasks, helping teams find better solutions through data, or speeding up common workflows. The aim is to build real use cases, not experiments.

Replacing outdated tech to cut costs

A big reason for this entire project is that much of the UK’s public sector still runs on old systems that are hard to maintain and expensive to update. These systems also create security risks and regular failures in services.

Replacing them is not just about having new software but also about saving money. Many of these systems cost more to keep alive than replacing them with more modern, cloud-based options.

The UK government aims to save £45 billion by making public services work more efficiently. Key parts of that savings plan include eliminating legacy systems, modernizing infrastructure, and using AI where it makes sense.

Moving away from outdated and vulnerable public sector IT

Across the UK public sector, more than 25% of systems are classified as “legacy”. In some departments, the number is more than 70%. These systems are both slow and pose serious security risks. Outages, poor data handling, and vulnerabilities are common.

Today, government departments often sign their own individual contracts for technology. This has made costs harder to control and led to systems that can’t easily work together.

The new plan changes that. Instead of separate deals, the public sector will use a centralized procurement strategy, which should make things cheaper, more consistent, and easier to manage across departments. It’s also expected to help smaller and mid-sized UK tech companies compete for government contracts.

Helping the UK become a leader in AI

This partnership is part of a larger push to grow AI capabilities in the UK. Google Cloud says it’s committed to investing in the UK, supporting AI startups, and helping businesses adopt AI tools faster.

By offering infrastructure, training, and support, the company wants to help make the UK a global centre for AI development, not just through tech, but by helping the people and organizations who use it.

Projecting a £400 billion economic impact from AI adoption

Google Cloud Vice President Maureen Costello says that AI adoption could bring over £400 billion in value to the UK economy by 2030.

This estimate is based on AI being used across public services, business, and industry — not replacing workers, but improving productivity and helping teams do more with less manual effort.

The UK wants to become a global leader in AI, and this partnership is one of several moves to support that goal.

At Revolgy, we help teams move to the cloud, improve their systems, and make things easier to run. If you’re working on something similar and want support, let us know, we’re here to help.