QTS/Northumberland County Council
The land was purchased by Blackstone earlier this year.
A £10bn investment in new artificial intelligence data centers will create around 4,000 jobs, the Government has announced.
The site, located in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland, will be one of Europe’s largest AI data centres.
The land was purchased by private equity giant Blackstone earlier this year after the collapse of Britishvolt, which had planned to build an electric vehicle battery factory on the site.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the investment showed the UK was “open for business”.
Lord Keir said Blackstone’s investment was a “huge vote of confidence in the UK” and proved the UK was back as a “major player on the world stage”.
Plans for the data center were first revealed in April, before Sir Keir’s election.
Northumberland County Council officer Richard Wearmouth said at the time that the project would make the north-east of England the “center of the AI revolution”.
The government says about 1,200 jobs will be used to build the project. The council previously said the data center would create around 2,700 related jobs.
British Bolt’s plans for a car factory were expected to create around 8,000 jobs.
Construction on the site is expected to begin next year, the government said.
“Game changer”
Blackstone chief executive John Gray said the company was “fully committed to the UK”. The company also confirmed it would put £110m into a fund for skills training and transport infrastructure in the region.
Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said the investment was a “game changer” for the region and welcomed the Prime Minister’s “full support” for the investment.
“Just yesterday, I wrote to the Prime Minister inviting him to visit the Cambois site to see for himself its huge potential,” he said.
“I look forward to welcoming him to Northumberland and discussing with him how further government investment in our infrastructure can unlock further economic growth.”
Additional reporting by PA Media.
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