The UK government held discussions with AMD, Intel and Nvidia about acquiring components to power a £100 million AI research project, The Telegraph reported, the latest move designed to increase the country’s influence on the hyped technology.

Talks included an order for a potential 5,000 GPUs from Nvidia, which would be used to tool-up a national research centre, the newspaper claimed.

Various government figures including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have talked-up the UK’s potential role in the technology this year, including an attempt to position the country as the global home for regulation in the sector.

In April, authorities announced £100 million of “initial start-up funding” for a taskforce responsible for accelerating its capabilities in the technology, after previously committing £900 million in new computing technology, which included an allocation for the dedicated AI research resource.

Revealing the cash for the taskforce, Sunak said AI “provides enormous opportunities to grow our economy, create better-paid jobs, and build a better future through advances in healthcare and security.”

The UK is one of a number of nations pumping funding into various AI projects, as major technology companies also scramble to secure their positions in the rapidly advancing sector.