The United States and the United Kingdom cooperate to develop advanced technology

The United States and the United Kingdom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly advance the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, telecommunications and quantum computing. The agreement aims to explore its applications in various fields such as space travel, military defense and biomedicine. Although the Memorandum of Understanding is not legally binding and does not change the existing agreement, it proposes a collaborative research program involving multiple government departments and agencies of the two countries. The two sides will form a working group to focus on the development of quantum computing hardware, software, algorithms and interoperability standards. Quantum computing has attracted great attention from the cryptocurrency community because it may challenge modern encryption standards that are crucial to cryptocurrency security. In addition, this cooperation will also study the development of 6G mobile communication networks and further promote technology research and development. U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted the positive impact of the cooperation on investment in various industries at a press conference with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer. Trump stressed that the partnership has led to $350 billion in deals in multiple areas, strengthening Britain's commitment to ensure it continues to be a safe and reliable source of top AI hardware and software. He also noted that the U.S. has received $17 trillion in investment over the past year, a time when the U.S. strives to maintain its leadership in artificial intelligence, digital technologies and high-performance computing systems. The White House statement also highlighted cooperation in the development of advanced nuclear power plants, including nuclear fusion reactors. The initiative aims to reduce dependence on foreign fuels and strengthen energy supply chains. Nuclear fusion refers to the generation of energy through the binding of atoms. Nuclear fusion is considered safer than nuclear fission because it has less radiation and has a lower risk of catastrophic meltdown. Advanced nuclear reactors are expected to provide a large amount of energy, which is crucial for energy-intensive applications such as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. However, a rich energy supply could undermine the proof-of-work mining algorithm used to protect certain cryptocurrencies. If energy becomes cheap and adequate, the barriers imposed by proof of work may be weakened, allowing malicious actors to exploit the PoW protocol through spam transactions and 51% attacks. The next step in the collaboration includes the establishment of an “administrative department-level working group” in the next six months to promote research and development through annual meetings. The White House clarified that the memorandum of understanding does not constitute any legally binding obligation.