The chief executive of Arm Holdings, the UK’s largest technology company, has said that artificial intelligence (AI) could one day find a cure for cancer that humans might not live to see. However, he warned that the progress of AI is being held back by a shortage of microchips needed for data centres. Rene Haas, CEO of Arm Holdings, which is based in Cambridge, told the BBC that while current AI systems are unable to fully model the complex impact of cancer on DNA, future computing power will enable AI to solve these problems. He also predicted that humanoid robots powered by AI could become widespread within the next five years. Arm designs the central processing units (CPUs) of microchips used in billions of devices worldwide, including smartphones, cars, and smartwatches. Earlier this year, Arm’s share price reached a record high during the AI boom, making it the most valuable UK-based company in terms of market value. Haas, who recently stepped down from the board of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, emphasized that AI will help cure cancer in our lifetime, though current technology is not yet capable of modeling complex biological processes such as the impact of cancer on DNA markers. Prof Chris Bakal, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, pointed out that the real challenge with AI is not whether to use it, but what kind of data it is trained on. He explained that in his research, AI is trained using data from patient samples rather than data scraped from the internet, and doesn’t require massive data centres to operate. Bakal argued that the future of medical AI will depend more on having the right measurements than on building the largest computers, which could speed up the development of new treatments and benefit patients. Haas also discussed the future of AI-powered robots, which he said could perform tasks like manufacturing, cleaning, and repairs within a decade. These robots would be able to see, learn, and adapt to new tasks, such as a robot programmed to make a bed learning to arrange towels or clean dustbins. Addressing concerns about AI replacing jobs, Haas said that while there will be changes in the workforce, the idea that AI will eliminate jobs entirely is overstated. He also downplayed fears of a stock market correction in AI companies, citing long-term demand for AI technology. Arm’s energy-efficient technology is now used in half of the world’s AI data centres, leading to significant growth in the company’s business, including the sale of its own microchips. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, asked Arm to develop the Arm AGI chip, which has seen "off-the-charts" demand since its launch in March, with over $2 billion worth of orders. However, Haas noted that a shortage of chips is slowing down the development of AI and data centres, including plans for massive "multi-gigawatt" data centres in France and the US, as well as in space. He argued that more chip manufacturing facilities are needed before such projects can proceed, and that moving chip production to the UK is unlikely due to the high cost and specialized requirements of manufacturing.