Latest plans revealed by three big tech companies will take the total committed investment in AI and data centre infrastructure over the next five to 10 years to a staggering £39bn.
The fresh tranche of planned investment was unveiled yesterday in tandem with the launch of a new Government action plan to turbocharge the AI infrastructure industry.
The Government has set out a blueprint to support the race to invest with plans for new AI Growth Zones.
These designated areas will allow fast-track planning approvals for the rapid build-out of data centres, give them better access to the energy grid, and draw in even more investment from around the world.
The first of these will be located in Culham, Oxfordshire – home to the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority and some of the brightest scientific minds in the world.
This will also serve a testing ground to drive forward research on how sustainable energy like fusion can power AI ambitions.
More zones will be announced in the summer, with a particular focus on de-industrialised areas of the country with access to power and strong support from local government.
Of the three latest entrants to unveil their investment plans, Vantage Data Centres has the greatest ambition.
It is presently working up details to build one of Europe’s largest data centre campuses in Wales.
This will involve construction of 10-buildings and three substations at the former Ford car factory in Bridgend.
Plans due to go in this spring for Bridgend site with phase one construction due to start next year
Overall Vantage plans to invest over £12bn in data centre hubs across the country.
These plans alone, subject to planning permission and agreed connection timelines, are expected to support over 10,000 local construction jobs over the next decade.
The pace of growth over the next three years will also be fed by the world’s largest IT infrastructure services provider Kyndryl.
It plans to create a new tech hub in Liverpool, while one of the UK’s leading AI companies Nscale intends to plough over £2bn into data centre infrastructure.
Nscale has also signed a contract to build the largest UK sovereign AI data centre in Loughton, Essex by 2026. This initial site will create 500 jobs during construction.
The company also plans to begin construction of multiple modular UK-based data centres in Q3 and Q4 of this year, with further expansion of fixed data centres slated for the following years.
