The UK government has officially designated a data centre site in North Lanarkshire as an AI Growth Zone, seeing the site secure £8.2 in private investment for the region.

Delivered by home-grown data centre company DataVita around their data centre site in Airdrie – and in partnership with AI cloud firm CoreWeave – the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone aims to bring more than 3,400 jobs over the course of the coming years,  including delivering 50 apprenticeships to nurture the next generation of Scottish AI expertise

Of these jobs, around 800 are expected to focus on the high-paying AI jobs of the future, including everything from AI researchers and coders through to permanent staff who will run and maintain data centres. The rest will be made up of immediate construction jobs, as attention turns to building out the entire site, including data centres, supportive infrastructure, and a renewables park.

Alongside £8.2 billion in private investment that will drive economic renewal in the local area, a new community fund will inject up to £543 million into support for a range of local programmes over the next 15 years.  The money will come as a direct result of the work carried out at the site, being raised as data centre capacity comes online.

“Today’s announcement is about creating good jobs, backing innovation and making sure the benefits AI will bring can be felt across the community – that’s how the UK government is delivering real change for the people of Scotland,” technology secretary Liz Kendall said.

“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.”

Bolstering the benefits for local communities even further, DataVita’s parent company HFD Group will also contribute a separate £1 million per year towards local charities and community groups.

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The development brings together three connected elements: 500MW of AI-ready data centre capacity, more than 1GW of privately wired renewable energy infrastructure, and purpose-built Innovation Parks aimed at attracting next-generation industries.

“Scotland has everything AI needs, the talent, the green energy, and now the infrastructure. But this goes beyond the physical buildings,” Danny Quinn, Managing Director of DataVita, 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 & Scotland, and we want to make sure local people share in it.

“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.”