Building AI in Scotland Just Got More Interesting. Here's Why.

For years, the conversation about building an AI company in Scotland has circled the same tension: the people are here, the research is world-class, but the infrastructure to take ideas from experiment to scale has been harder to come by. That gap is closing.

CoreWeave, the cloud platform that leading AI labs and high-growth startups rely on for the kind of workloads AI actually demands, has committed a £1.5 billion investment into Scottish AI infrastructure. The largest of its kind in the region. And now they're partnering with CodeBase.

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What this partnership actually means for founders

Partnerships that look good on paper don't always translate into something founders can use. This one is built differently, because the access it creates is tangible.

As part of the collaboration, startups and scaleups supported by CodeBase will gain access to CoreWeave expertise through technical sessions, joint reports, and opportunities to explore advanced AI use cases on CoreWeave infrastructure. That's the kind of hands-on, infrastructure-level access that early-stage AI founders rarely get, regardless of where they're based.

CoreWeave Ventures, which backs founders and companies developing the platforms and technologies shaping the AI ecosystem and the next frontier of computing, will be part of this from the start.

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A ecosystem that's genuinely coming together

Ben Richardson, Managing Director for International at CoreWeave, said:

"Scotland is fast becoming an exciting centre of AI innovation. Our partnership with CodeBase and recent investment in Scotland reflects CoreWeave's belief in the strength of this ecosystem. By providing a world-class AI cloud platform to Scotland's thriving AI community, we're creating new opportunities for researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs to build globally impactful technologies."

CodeBase already supports hundreds of startups across its multiple programmes. Commitment towards AI has been a strong suit of CodeBase. Earlier this year, we launched our AI Discovery programme, building a pipeline of deeptech AI startups from postgraduate researchers alongside the University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, and NHS Scotland. Through a Venture Builder Incubator with the University of Edinburgh, we are also supporting data-driven and deep tech startup creation across Scottish universities.

The infrastructure investment and the ecosystem development are happening simultaneously, moving steadily towards sustained acceleration.

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What's on next

To kick things off, CodeBase and CoreWeave are hosting an exclusive event for AI founders and startups at CodeBase Edinburgh on Tuesday 5th May.

The format is intentionally hands-on. The morning opens with a brunch and roundtable, followed by a series of one-to-one sessions running through the afternoon. These will be real conversations with people who can actually move things forward.

Attendees from CoreWeave will include senior leaders working across corporate development, strategy, and market expansion, stakeholders in designing where CoreWeave needs to expend it's attention. CoreWeave Ventures, which backs founders and companies building the platforms and technologies shaping the next frontier of AI, will also be represented.

It's the first in a series of founder-focused events between CodeBase and CoreWeave, with more to follow.

If you're building in AI and want a seat at the table, click here to apply.