The Prime Minister has announced that a deal has been agreed that will bring £10 billion of investment and thousands of jobs to the North East of England.
Supporting government aims of driving growth, and local communities, the biggest AI data centre in Europe will be delivered as part of a project to significantly boost the UK’s AI capabilities.
Thanks to the creation of the data centre, more than 4,000 jobs will be created in Blyth, with 1,200 of these being dedicated to the actual construction of the site. The process of delivery will begin next year, with vast amounts of data that is required to power AI and store information being hosted at the site. As evidenced by the deal, which is with a US investment company, foreign investment is a key part of the government’s mission of economic growth.
Whilst job creation will also be a major benefit from the delivery of the site, the company involved in the deal will also invest £110 million directly into a fund that will support the delivery of additional skills training and transport infrastructure for the people of Blyth.
Alongside the direct benefits of the delivery of the data centre, the deal also signifies the work that the government is undertaking to rebuild Britain’s reputation as an investment destination. Commenting on this, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“The number one mission of my government is to grow our economy so that hard-working British people reap the benefits – and more foreign investment is a crucial part of that plan.
“New investment such as the one we’ve announced with Blackstone today is a huge vote of confidence in the UK and it proves that Britain is back as a major player on the global stage and we’re open for business.”
The UK is currently home to the highest number of data centres in Western Europe, with the government now classing the sites as ‘Critical National Infrastructure.’
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