This Government is committed to delivering the infrastructure needed to support AI-driven growth across the UK. AI Growth Zones, designed to deliver large amounts of AI data centre capacity by 2030, are central to this effort.

We have moved the programme from concept to delivery, with five AI Growth Zones now announced across England, Wales, and Scotland. We are delivering sites capable of supporting the next generation of AI infrastructure in the UK and the programme is set to deliver over 15,000 jobs and £28.2 billion in investment.

Site developers are responsible for delivering the built infrastructure and government is delivering the policy reforms needed to unblock and accelerate delivery. This includes action on power, planning, grid access, and local benefits, with up to £5 million available to support skills and AI adoption in each AI Growth Zone.

The expansion of AI infrastructure is critical to the UK's long-term economic growth, resilience, and global competitiveness. We are working closely with industry, the National Energy System Operator, DESNZ, Ofgem, DEFRA, and the Environment Agency to improve our understanding of the impacts of future demand.

AI Growth Zone applicants are required to detail their water plans and provide confirmation of feasibility from the relevant water supplier. Data Centre Developers progressing through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime must assess impacts on water resources as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment and supporting documentation, and national planning policy embeds consideration of sustainable water use and resource efficiency in decision making.

Through the AI Energy Council, co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, we are also exploring how to meet the future energy demands of AI and data centres in a way that is resilient, sustainable, and scalable.

The Government has launched five AI Growth Zones in industrial heartlands across the country, which will create 15,000 jobs and unlock £28 billion of investment. All areas of the country are being considered for further AI Growth Zones, including the Midlands. The application process to become an AI Growth Zone remains open.

Government fully recognises that the process for electricity demand connections requires reform and is working closely with Ofgem, NESO and network companies to develop and deliver a coordinated package of measures to ensure the connections process supports efficient and fair connections for all users, release blocked capacity, and accelerate connections for projects that reflect Government’s top strategic priorities, including AI Growth Zones.

Government recently consulted on key elements of this package of reforms and will publish its response in due course.

As announced in the ‘Delivering AI Growth Zones’ publication in November 2025, new measures to prioritise electricity connections for strategic demand projects will be used to support AI Growth Zones.

Government recently consulted on the detail of these measures and will publish its response in due course.

Government fully recognises the impact of connection delays on delivery of its objectives and is working closely with Ofgem, NESO and network companies to develop and deliver a coordinated package of demand-side reforms to release blocked network capacity and accelerate connections for projects that reflect Government’s top strategic priorities, including AI Growth Zones.

Government recently consulted on key elements of this package of reforms and will publish its response in due course.

To date, Government has announced five AI Growth Zones: in Culham; the North East of England; Anglesey (North Wales); a South Wales Cluster (spanning from Newport to Bridgend); and Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Over £28 billion in private investment has been committed to these announced AI Growth Zones to date, with delivery of these projects underway across multiple sites.

Decisions on investment are a matter for private companies. The Government has been clear that it will encourage and support investments that will enable UK firms and people to benefit. Many of the large-scale AI infrastructure projects in the UK have been publicly announced, with most of these having press releases available on Gov.uk. The Government continues to engage across the board on these investments to ensure that they deliver the best outcomes for the UK.

Our focus is on continuing to create the right conditions for investment in the UK’s AI data centre infrastructure. We are continuing to work with OpenAI and other leading AI companies to strengthen UK compute capacity.

The government continues to work closely with the Combined Authority and commercial partners regarding the delivery of the North East AI Growth Zone. Discussions with individual companies are commercially sensitive, and we will provide further updates in due course.

Since the announcement of the North East AI Growth Zone, there has been no change to energy pricing or the regulatory environment in the UK. We engage regularly with developers and other stakeholders for the North East AI Growth Zone and are encouraged that Cobalt Park are in discussions with a number of alternative offtake customers. The success of the AI Growth Zones programme is not contingent on any single investor. Five AIGZs have been designated with the potential to deliver £28 billion of investment from a diverse range of developers.

The Government is delivering an ambitious policy package to support build-out of AI infrastructure in the UK. DSIT will set up a dedicated AI Growth Zone Delivery Unit providing a single point of contact for investors, accelerated planning and grid connection support, long-term business rates retention for host local authorities, and targeted energy pricing support.

We are continuing to create the right conditions for investment in the UK’s AI and data centre infrastructure work with leading AI companies to strengthen UK compute capacity.

AI Growth Zones are expected to create more than 15,000 jobs spanning construction activity, permanent operational roles and wider supply‑chain employment. Job creation will ramp up as infrastructure works progress, with full delivery projected by the early 2030s. These figures are based on information provided by project teams and should be treated as projections rather than firm forecasts.

Ultimately, hiring decisions sit with individual companies, but AI Growth Zones are designed to create high‑skill, long‑term employment in areas with strong potential for economic growth.

The Department does not hold central data that consistently categorises jobs into short‑, medium‑ and long‑term across all AI Growth Zones, nor comprehensive data on jobs created to date, as projects remain at an early stage of delivery.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI Growth Zones on regeneration in Mansfield.

In the 14 months we have been in government, our AI growth zones have done more to level up the country than Conservative Members achieved in 14 years; these zones are being built in the areas that once led the industrial revolution and will now lead the technological revolution. We are also upskilling 10 million workers with free AI skills, introducing the first dedicated national apprenticeship in practical AI and automation, and delivering our £27 million TechLocal programme to help people from all walks of life move into AI. We are determined to ensure that AI benefits people in Mansfield and every part of the country, so that no one is left behind.

Fourteen years of Conservative economic decline saw jobs and opportunity leave places such as my constituency of Mansfield, and AI now presents a chance to turn that around. How will the Secretary of State ensure that the Government roll-out of AI growth zones, creating opportunity across the country, will translate into local jobs and skills in left-behind communities?

This Government have already launched five AI growth zones, creating 15,000 jobs and unlocking £40 billion of investment in industrial heartlands across the country. The east midlands AI growth zone— a high-potential bid for that is under active consideration —could bring thousands of good jobs to the region, including in Nottinghamshire, unlocking investment, creating opportunities and regenerating the area in partnership with local businesses and universities.

Through AI Growth Zones (AIGZs), we aim to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth, with AIGZs announced so far expected to create over 15,000 jobs.

AIGZs are designed to accelerate data‑centre build‑out and attract substantial private investment, creating construction roles, permanent operational jobs, and wider indirect employment through supply‑chain growth and skills pathways. Each AI Growth Zone will also receive £5 million to support local AI adoption and upskilling, helping ensure communities benefit directly from new opportunities.

Five AI Growth Zones have been designated to date, all expected to contribute to regional regeneration and the UK’s long‑term compute capacity. We do not make specific assumptions about the nature or geographical nature of jobs indirectly related to AI Growth Zones.

The AI Growth Zones programme aims to attract billions of pounds in private investment into AI data centres and drive economic growth through job creation. The programme will create opportunities for skills development and apprenticeships, forge research and development partnerships with local universities, and enable British businesses to participate in major AI projects.

We have announced five AI Growth Zones, two of which are Welsh sites, with one in Anglesey and another in South Wales. These sites will benefit from major private investment, including Vanguard's planned £10 billion investment in the South Wales AI Growth Zone. In addition to this private capital, we are providing £5 million for each AI Growth Zone through UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) to support skills development and AI adoption, ensuring that local communities benefit directly from the programme. This funding will be available from April 2026 for all AI Growth Zone.

AI Growth Zones (AIGZs) are a national mission to give the UK the world-class infrastructure it needs to lead in artificial intelligence, unlock billions in private investment, and drive long-term economic growth.

Following a formal application process, we have confirmed four AI Growth Zones located in Culham, the North East Combined Authority, North Wales, and South Wales. We will continue to review applications and carry out targeted site engagement to confirm future AIGZ locations in due course.

On 13 November 2025 DSIT announced a suite of new policy and reforms for enabling AI infrastructure as well as AI Growth Zones that will support access to energy, reduce planning barriers, and tackle energy costs. You can read the full publication here - Delivering AI Growth Zones - GOV.UK.