The UK will keep building data centers as artificial intelligence spreads through its economy, growth minister Dan Tomlinson said, calling them 'essential infrastructure.' Projects must invest in local communities and create jobs to receive government support. The UK Compute Roadmap says the country needs at least 6GW of data center capacity by 2030.

Will the UK keep building data centers?

The UK will keep building data centers as artificial intelligence spreads through its economy, according to Dan Tomlinson, the country's minister for growth. In an interview with the Financial Times, Tomlinson called the facilities 'essential infrastructure.'

The position stands in contrast to the United States, which is dealing with the fallout from strong demand for data centers. Tomlinson said the UK is looking to benefit from that same demand rather than retreat from it.

What conditions apply to UK data center projects?

Tomlinson told the FT that AI is becoming more widely used across the British economy, and that the country will need more data centers to support that growth. Construction, however, comes with conditions. He said projects will have to invest in local communities and create jobs to receive government support.

He also said the government has learned from what he described as a 'free-for-all in parts of the US.' The UK, he said, will take a more nuanced approach with better oversight.

The push is laid out in the UK Compute Roadmap, a policy paper on how the country can meet AI's growing power demands. The document says the UK needs at least 6GW of computing capacity from data centers by 2030.

To speed projects along, the government previously made it easier for data centers to win approval through the 'AI Growth Zones' initiative, introduced in 2025 by former prime minister Keir Starmer.

Why are some people opposing data centers?

Not everyone supports the plan. Residents have protested on sites where data centers are planned. Across the Atlantic, a majority of American voters said they favor restricting the rapid pace of data center construction, according to local ballot results.

Questo articolo è stato scritto con l'assistenza dell'IA.
News Factory APP - notizie agentiche per potenziare il tuo SEO e AEO.