Lanarkshire in Scotland has been named as the location for the latest AI Growth Zone, a development expected to support more than 3,400 jobs and attract billions of pounds in private investment.
The site will be delivered by Scottish data centre firm DataVita around its facility in Airdrie, working in partnership with AI cloud provider CoreWeave. The project forms part of the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and the government’s wider AI Opportunities Action Plan, which aims to expand computing capacity, skills pipelines and regional economic growth.
Under current plans, around 800 of the projected roles are expected to be focused on higher-paid AI and digital positions, including researchers, software specialists and data centre operators, while the remainder are linked to construction and supporting infrastructure as the site is built out. The programme also includes 50 apprenticeships intended to support the next generation of Scottish AI talent.
Alongside the £8.2 billion in private investment committed to the site, a community fund of up to £543 million is planned over a 15-year period. The funding is expected to be raised as data centre capacity comes online and directed toward local initiatives including skills and training, after-school coding clubs, and support for charities and foodbanks.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the announcement was intended to link economic growth directly to household benefit, stating: “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.”
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the growth zone was designed to ensure the impact of artificial intelligence was felt locally, adding: “Today’s announcement is about creating good jobs, backing innovation and making sure the benefits AI will bring can be felt across the community. From thousands of new jobs and billions in investment through to support for local people and their families, AI Growth Zones are bringing generation-defining opportunity to all corners of the country.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves described the initiative as part of a broader push for regional growth, saying: “Seizing the opportunities of AI is vital for getting jobs and growth in every part of the country. Our AI growth zones are creating new opportunities for local communities and unlocking investment so businesses can grow and scale up.”
Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill said the project marked a continuation of the region’s industrial legacy. “North Lanarkshire’s proud industrial heritage helped power Britain through the last century. Today, we’re writing the next chapter, as this community becomes home to an advanced AI site,” she said, adding that the zone would create thousands of jobs and attract major investment into central Scotland.
From an industry perspective, DataVita managing director Danny Quinn said the project went beyond data centre construction. “Scotland has everything AI needs, the talent, the green energy, and now the infrastructure,” he said. “We’re creating innovation parks, new energy infrastructure, and attracting inward investment from some of the world’s leading technology companies. This is a massive opportunity for North Lanarkshire and Scotland.”
Quinn added that the community funding element was central to the project’s design. “The £543 million community fund means the benefits stay here, good jobs, new skills, and investment that actually reaches the people who live and work in this area.”
CoreWeave International managing director Ben Richardson said the development marked a shift toward operational AI capability in the UK. “The Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone marks a meaningful step in moving the UK from AI ambition into AI in production,” he said. “We’re proud to make this £1.5 billion investment with DataVita, delivering a production-grade AI cloud designed to run, scale, and evolve as AI becomes embedded across the economy.”
The site is expected to include more than 500 megawatts of on-site power generation over the next four years, with plans to integrate renewable energy sources and explore the reuse of waste heat produced by cooling systems. One option under consideration is redirecting excess heat to support the nearby University Hospital Monklands, which is planned to become Scotland’s first fully digital, net zero hospital.
Lanarkshire becomes the fifth AI Growth Zone announced across the UK in the past year, alongside sites in Oxfordshire, North and South Wales, and the North East of England. AI Growth Zone status remains conditional on delivery milestones and ongoing compliance with regulatory and planning requirements.
