UK GDP unexpectedly rose 0.4% in July, driven by AI investment surge

UK economy unexpectedly grew 0.4% in July boosted by AI surge

UK GDP grew 0.4% month-on-month in July, beating the 0.1% consensus forecast. The FT attributes the surprise to a surge in AI-related infrastructure and data centre investment. Services and construction were strong, while manufacturing continued to shrink. The post does not disclose specific AI investment figures or sector breakdowns.