Why London became Europe’s AI capital, and what could stall it

Between January and June this year, British AI companies raised $9.6 billion. That number alone would make 2026 a record. The more telling figure sits underneath it: according to Tracxn data published in August, 98% of that money went to companies based in London. Oxford managed $103 million. Cambridge, home to one of the best computer science departments on the planet, attracted $18.3 million. So the question is no longer…