United States commits £30 billion to AI development within the UK's North East region
The North East of England is set to become one of Europe's largest data centre hubs, with the development of the AI Growth Zone. This ambitious project, a result of a technology partnership with the United States, aims to position the region as the UK's flagship hub for artificial intelligence (AI).
The AI Growth Zone builds on the North East's reputation for cutting-edge research, renewable energy resources, and advanced manufacturing. The Blyth site, a key location for the project, will see an investment of £10bn by Blackstone, with an additional £20bn expected from future partners.
The AI Growth Zone is expected to boost productivity, attract further international investment, and create thousands of construction and technology jobs. The region's world-class universities, including Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland, and Northumbria, are at the forefront of AI research and training, producing a new generation of AI specialists.
Newcastle's National Innovation Centre for Data is leading efforts to build AI-focused training programs for both the public and private sectors. The AI Growth Zone in Newcastle specifically cooperates with Newcastle University and Northumbria University to provide specialized training programs for the workforce of the future high-tech sector.
The AI Growth Zone aims to strengthen the UK's global competitiveness in AI and upskill the workforce, ensuring AI adoption benefits public services. Stargate UK, a new AI infrastructure platform, is being established in the UK by Nscale, OpenAI, and NVIDIA. Key elements of Stargate UK's infrastructure rollout will be hosted at Cobalt Park, part of the AI Growth Zone.
The first phase of Stargate UK will see OpenAI take delivery of 8,000 GPUs, with the potential to scale to 31,000 units. The Blyth data centre will expand its energy capacity to 1.1GW within the next six years. This expansion is expected to create more than 5,000 high-skilled jobs and significantly boost the local economy.
The AI Growth Zone will provide the computing power required for breakthroughs in various sectors, including drug discovery, climate change research, advanced robotics, and financial services. The North East's AI Growth Zone is a testament to the region's commitment to innovation and its ambition to lead the way in AI technology.
Over £30bn in projected investment from leading US innovators is expected for the AI Growth Zone. The North East is positioning itself as a beacon of AI innovation, attracting global attention and investment. The AI Growth Zone is not just a project; it's a vision for the future, a vision of a region powered by AI, leading the way in technological advancement.
