www.managedITmag.co.uk 29 Scotland’s combination of renewable energy, available land and skilled talent is creating strong interest among developers assessing new large-scale data centre projects, reveals new analysis by Lichfields. The study by the planning and development consultancy highlights how the UK’s data centre industry currently contributes around £4.7 billion to the economy each year, with forecasts suggesting a further £44 billion could be added by 2035 through construction and operation. Scotland is well placed to capture a significant share of that growth, producing 113% of its electricity consumption from renewables in 2022 and exporting surplus clean power to the grid. Lichfields’ analysis references a previous site-shortlisting exercise by Scottish Futures Trust, Crown Estate Scotland and Scottish Enterprise, which identified a range of potential locations with the right combination of renewable capacity, land availability and technical expertise, including Aberdeen, Dundee, Fife and parts of the Highlands. However, to date most large-scale schemes remain concentrated in southern England, reflecting differences in planning support and grid capacity. Dan Evans, Associate Director at Lichfields, said: “For developers, Scotland offers something few regions or countries can match – abundant low-carbon energy, space for expansion and a strong engineering base. The combination of renewable generation, cool climate and established technical skills creates ideal conditions for sustainable data centre operations. “Across the UK, we’re seeing growing demand from investors and operators looking for sites that balance performance, cost and environmental responsibility. Scotland’s renewable strength and land availability tick those boxes, but delivery confidence remains key. Developers need clarity on where projects will be supported and how long approvals will take. A consistent national position, backed by local planning frameworks, would make a real difference in turning interest into investment.” Lichfields’ analysis identifies several practical measures that can help maintain momentum, including the allocation of land for data centre development in new Local Development Plans, using Masterplan Consent Areas to simplify consents for complex or multi-use sites and encouraging early coordination between planning authorities, developers and energy providers. It highlights the £3.9 billion regeneration of the former Ravenscraig steelworks in North Lanarkshire as evidence of growing confidence in Scotland’s potential. The project, which includes one of the UK’s largest AI-ready data centres, will support around 2,000 long-term jobs and deliver a £1.2 billion construction boost, contributing an estimated 0.4% to Scotland’s GDP each year once operational. Evans added: “Scotland has an opportunity to position itself as a genuine alternative to traditional UK data centre clusters. By combining its renewable capacity with a more agile planning approach, it can attract long-term global investment, create skilled employment and strengthen its reputation for sustainable growth. “Developers are ready to commit where policy, infrastructure and delivery are properly coordinated. With the right signals from government and local authorities, Scotland could move from potential to performance very quickly.” https://lichfields.uk/content/insights/ watt-next-for-scotland Scotland is emerging as a key growth market for data centre developers, according to new analysis Here for the climate DATA CENTRES AI boost DataVita and CoreWeave to build AI infrastructure in Scotland As part of a £1.5 billion investment in AI infrastructure in Scotland, Coreweave, a provider of cloud solutions for accelerated computing, has chosen to locate its AI infrastructure in the Lanarkshire data centre of DataVita, a UK provider of sustainable data centre solutions for complex business workloads including High-Performance Computing and Artificial Intelligence. DataVita Managing Director Danny Quinn said: “This partnership is a landmark moment for the UK’s technology and sustainability goals. We’re proud that our investment in green infrastructure has enabled a partnership with CoreWeave that will deliver the UK’s most sustainable and powerful AI platform. This demonstrates that technological ambition and environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand, positioning Scotland as the cornerstone of the UK’s green AI future.” Coreweave’s choice of location and data centre provider align well with its strategic decision to prioritise sustainability and environmental responsibility. As well as being powered by renewable energy, its AI infrastructure will set a new standard for water conservation, thanks to Scotland’s naturally cool climate and DataVita’s state-of-the-art closed-loop cooling technology that together will keep water consumption to a minimum. Mike Mattacola, GM of CoreWeave, said: “In DataVita and Scotland, we have found the ideal combination of cutting-edge infrastructure and a worldleading renewable energy ecosystem. This allows us to rapidly deliver largescale AI infrastructure competitively and with the lowest possible environmental impact.” This major investment will be pivotal in achieving the UK Government’s Compute Roadmap, providing AI labs, enterprises and research institutions with the critical infrastructure needed to remain at the forefront of global innovation. www.datavita.co.uk www.coreweave.com Danny Quinn
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