The first phase will deliver a 6MW carbon friendly data centre alongside around 20,000 sq ft of office and research space.

The facility has already secured planning permission and will use liquid immersion cooling technology, with waste heat captured and fed into a proposed district heat network serving the wider Silicon Sands development.

Hochtief beat competition from EdgeSynergies and Deep Green Technologies to secure the long term concession, which covers investment, development and operation of the data centre and associated office accommodation.

The concession will see the council make the site available on a 250-year lease. A standstill period runs until 4 August, with contract signing expected from 1 October.

The first phase forms part of the wider 40-acre Silicon Sands masterplan north of Blackpool Airport, which aims to create a major digital infrastructure hub powered by renewable electricity from offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea.

The wider campus is designed to attract businesses in sectors including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, gaming and telehealth by combining high performance data centres with development land for companies requiring direct access to digital infrastructure.

Blackpool Council believes the Silicon Sands development could create thousands of skilled jobs, attract significant inward investment and establish the Fylde Coast as one of the UK’s leading locations for sustainable data centres and digital innovation.