Renewables developer Apatura is spearheading the ambitious scheme to build the 550MW data centre on 160 acres of post-industrial land east of Glasgow, powered by Scotland’s growing surplus of wind and solar energy.

The project marks a major milestone in the regeneration of the former steelworks site, once home to Europe’s largest hot strip mill before closing in 1992.

The proposed data centre – one of five AI-ready sites Apatura is developing across the central belt – will be built at the SevenFourEight industrial zone, adjacent to the Wishaw Deviation freight railway and with direct links to the M74 and M8.

It’s part of Apatura’s pitch to the UK Government’s AI Growth Zone programme, which is identifying strategic sites to supercharge Britain’s AI infrastructure. The site is under review by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology.

Early estimates suggest the project will deliver a one-off £1.2bn GVA boost during construction, supporting over 16,000 job years, with 2,399 long-term jobs once operational.

Apatura CEO Giles Hanglin said: “We’ve secured the land and the grid – and we’re already working with local and national partners to make sure the benefits are widely felt.”

Ravenscraig director Russell Wilkie added: “This multi-billion pound investment is a platform for national progress, combining energy, digital infrastructure and innovation.”

Ravenscraig has already benefited from a £74m access road investment by North Lanarkshire Council and forms part of a wider masterplan for sustainable growth.

Apatura’s wider Scottish AI hub plans include over 1.6GW of secured grid capacity across five sites – making it one of the few UK developers capable of delivering green AI infrastructure at scale.