A new £10bn AI and cloud computing data centre is set to be built after investment giant Blackstone received approval from Northumberland County Council.
The centre will be built on the former Britishvolt factory site in Cambois, which has been abandoned since the company collapsed in 2023.
Hopes are for a new tech hub in the area due to the computing power generated by the data centre.
It will be made up of 10 buildings which will cover over 540,000 sq m and the New York-based firm says it will create more than 1,600 jobs.
It is estimated that, across the wider local community, around 2,700 jobs in total will be created due to the £10bn development.
The company reportedly paid Northumberland County Council £110m for the site.
For Scott Constable, partnerships director at Manchester-based data centre specialist Vespertec, the move proves the North’s data centre industry is set for a boom – and all sectors stand to benefit.
“All signs point towards a Northern data centre boom. This announcement is a huge win for the North’s data centre industry, and more computing power will vastly improve access to efficiency tools like AI and the cloud for regional businesses and institutions,” he said.
“Projects like this are especially good news for universities in the region. Bristol’s Isambard-AI supercomputer is set to complete this summer, and has already allowed students and researchers to make leaps in AI research.
“More investment in data centres will enable institutions across the country to do the same.
“The fact that this project was unanimously approved by the Northumberland County Council is a sign that local authorities are realising the potential too.
“With the opportunity to create thousands of jobs, the promise of supercharging research, and the chance to unlock the power of AI for businesses across the country, I look forward to news like this becoming commonplace.”
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