Carbon3 has announced a £1 billion commitment to develop a nationwide network of data centres that will transform legacy industrial and energy infrastructure into secure, fully sustainable AI-ready hubs.
Designed, owned, and operated by Carbon3.ai, the firm says the network will deliver high-performance, low-carbon compute capacity to fuel the digital readiness of UK enterprise, research and public services.
All infrastructure and data processing will be located within the UK and fully subject to UK jurisdiction and regulatory oversight.
The company has already completed a successful proof of concept and is moving into full-scale rollout with its first 5MW site in the East Midlands set to open in March 2026 and planning permission submitted for a second facility in Derbyshire.
To drive this next phase of growth, Carbon3.ai has strengthened its leadership with a team that brings together deep expertise across government, finance, and national security. Sana Khareghani (pictured), former head of the UK Government Office for Artificial Intelligence, joins as chief strategy officer.
Khareghani is supported by advisors Richard Collier-Keywood, former vice chair of PwC’s global board and a seasoned leader in finance and governance whose experience will enable Carbon3.ai’s disciplined growth and investment strategy, and Sir George Zambellas, former Navy chief, who brings critical expertise in national resilience, infrastructure security, and technology leadership at scale.
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“If the UK is to lead in AI, we must first secure the foundations that make it possible: compute, power, and data,” said Khareghani. “Carbon3 is building those foundations here at home, transforming legacy energy sites into a sovereign, renewable, AI-ready infrastructure network.
“This isn’t a vision on paper, we’re making it happen now on the ground. By putting critical infrastructure back under UK control, we’re creating sustainable capacity and national capability that will power innovation, research, and enterprise for decades to come.”
Tom Humphreys, CEO of Carbon3, added: “The UK’s competitiveness in AI depends on infrastructure that is truly sovereign, sustainable, and resilient. It’s not enough to invest in data centres, we need a national backbone for AI that’s owned, powered, and secured right here at home.
“Our goal is to ensure that British enterprise, researchers, and public institutions have access to world-class compute capacity without relying on foreign-controlled infrastructure.
“We’re scaling from real assets, land, power, and live deployments, not just ambition. The government recognises the urgency that is why they have said we need 6GW of sovereign AI capacity by 2030. Together we can get there, securing a foundation for innovation, investment, and long-term national advantage.”