The UK is benefiting from a nascent AI boom – do we have Slough to thank? Economics The AI boom is beginning to appear in official data. Without it, the UK economy would be in even more of a pickle, writes Ali Lyon. Embark on a hunt for Europe’s most vibrant AI economy, and your search will take you to a surprising destination. The dormitory town of Slough has for decades been [...]
Drax unveils £20bn plans for new data centre – powered by burning wood Energy Energy company Drax has unveiled plans to build a new data centre at the site of its North Yorkshire power plant, which uses wood as fuel. The FTSE 250 firm’s biomass plant is predominantly powered by wood pellets, but also uses straw and sunflower pellets. The company said it intends to use surplus energy capacity [...]
Healey’s grid pledge faces test as data centre pipeline stalls Tech John Healey’s Budget pledge to fast-track electricity connections for British data centres faces an immediate test, as new research shows only 13 per cent of planned capacity is under construction. The Chancellor announced a new Data Centre Covenant on Wednesday, offering strategically important projects priority access to Britain’s electricity grid in exchange for commitments on [...]
Burnham grid shake-up offers data centres escape from power queue September 30, 2026 Britain’s data centre developers could be handed a new route around years-long waits for electricity under Andy Burnham’s plan to open up the power grid to competition. The prime minister unveiled Great British Grid (GB Grid) on Tuesday, a publicly owned arm of Great British Energy that will aim to challenge existing network operators and [...]
Nscale vows stay in UK despite £35bn US stock market listing September 22, 2026 Nscale has vowed to keep Britain at the heart of its global expansion despite choosing New York over London for its blockbuster float, as the AI infrastructure firm looks to turn its UK base into an export hub for computing power. The Nvidia-backed firm believes jobs and expertise built in Britain can serve customers around [...]
Nscale doubles London office space as UK staff grows sixfold August 5, 2026 Nscale has doubled its London office space as the AI hyperscaler cements its presence in the capital, City AM can reveal. The tech startup, which develops data centres for AI firms and is reportedly eyeing a $25bn valuation in an upcoming IPO, has leased out an extra floor in the Mayfair building that houses its [...]
Nscale taps lenders for $900m to fuel AI data centre splurge July 7, 2026 British data centre builder Nscale has landed a $900m (£673m) credit line from some of Wall Street’s biggest banks to fuel its global expansion, even as investors increasingly scrutinise the sector’s breakneck spending. The London-headquartered company said the financing will support the construction of new AI data centres across Europe, the US and Asia-Pacific as [...]
Kemi Badenoch: AI firms ‘won’t come here’ if Britain overregulates July 7, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has warned Britain risks driving away the next generation of AI giants unless it lowers industrial energy costs or fixes London’s capital markets, arguing the UK cannot regulate its way to becoming a global tech leader. Speaking at the Politics UK Summit in Westminster on Monday evening, the Conservative leader said Britain was [...]
Big Tech’s AI capex splurge can’t go on forever June 17, 2026 The eye-watering capital expenditure plans of Big Tech has been one of the year’s biggest stories. Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft have all splurged to secure a podium spot in the race to build out the infrastructure which will run the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. Total capex by these four firms is expected to reach $750bn [...]
Labour bets £1.1bn on Britain’s AI chip race June 8, 2026 Keir Starmer’s government has unveiled a £1.1bn package aimed at turning Britain into a global AI hardware powerhouse, with ministers backing domestic chipmakers and pouring capital into training the next generation of engineers. The new AI Hardware Plan, announced at London Tech Week by tech secretary Liz Kendall, includes £750m for a new national AI [...]