North Lanarkshire to become ‘one of the world’s most advanced AI sites’

North Lanarkshire is set to become an AI “growth zone”, with plans to turn the area into one of the world’s most advanced AI sites. 

The UK Government says the new zone will attract £8.2bn of private investment and will benefit from a further £543m from a community fund – raised via work on the site – over the next 15 years.  

It is expected the move will create 3,400 high-value jobs over the coming years – including 800 high-paying AI jobs.  

Scotland Office minister Kirsty McNeill acknowledged the area’s former coal and steel manufacturing industries and said the AI growth zone was “writing the next chapter” for North Lanarkshire.  

“The area will once again be at the very heart of Scotland’s and Britain's industrial story,” she said.  

The project will be delivered by DataVita, a data centre company, at its premises in Airdrie. It will be run in partnership with AI cloud company CoreWeave. 

The hub is expected to create around 50 apprenticeships, which the government says will help to nurture the next generation of Scottish AI expertise.  

DataVita say that “Scotland has everything AI needs”, including a talent base, green energy, and growing infrastructure. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Getting on in life should not mean travelling miles from your community for work while struggling to pay the bills at home.  

“By bringing billions of pounds of investment into Lanarkshire, we are creating good, well-paid jobs and funding support that directly helps families with the cost of living.  

“With strong progress made on our AI Opportunities Action Plan over the past year, now is the time to put our foot on the accelerator and ensure working people feel the benefits in every corner of the UK.” 

Once completed, the hub will focus on “cutting-edge solutions” for problems such as energy consumption. 

The development will also be powered by 500MW of on-site renewables, and excess heat will be redirected to University Hospital Monklands to assist it in reaching its goal of becoming the first fully net zero hospital in the UK when it opens its new facility in 2031.  

Technology minister Liz Kendall said the move was “about creating good jobs, backing innovation and making sure the benefits AI will bring can be felt across the community”. 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “Seizing the opportunities of AI is vital for getting jobs and growth in every part of the country.  

“Our AI growth zones are doing just that - creating new opportunities for local communities and unlocking investment so businesses can grow and scale up, building an economy that works for working people”.