Lanarkshire to become 'one of the world's most advanced AI sites'

North Lanarkshire is to become the home of an artificial intelligence "growth zone", with the aim of turning the area into one of the world's most advanced AI sites.

The UK government claims the move will bring more than £8bn in private investment to the area, coupled with a new community fund worth about £543m over a 15-year period.

About 800 AI sector jobs will be created, with a further 2,600 roles in the construction sector through building data centres, supportive infrastructure and a renewables park.

Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill said the news would place the region at "the very heart of Scotland's and Britain's industrial story".

The hub will be based at the company DataVita's data centre site in Airdrie, in partnership with AI cloud firm CoreWeave.

Permanent jobs to be created include AI researchers, coders and staff who will run and maintain data centres, while 50 apprenticeships will also form part of the plan.

The community fund will be raised through work carried out at the site, being raised as data centre capacity comes online.

This funding will then go into a range of projects and targets, including training packages, after-school coding clubs and support for local charities and foodbanks.

Coreweave said Lanarkshire will become "one of the most advanced AI sites anywhere in the world" after the "growth zone" plan is completed, with a focus on "cutting-edge solutions" for problems such as energy consumption.

Energy to power the development will come from on-site renewables, with excess heat then re-directed to power the nearby University Hospital Monklands.

The hospital is set to become the first fully net zero hospital in the country when it opens its new facility in 2031.

Last year the government announced an AI Opportunities Action Plan which included establishing AI growth zones "to facilitate the accelerated build out of AI data centres".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the development would create jobs, directly helping families with the cost of living.

"Getting on in life should not mean travelling miles from your community for work while struggling to pay the bills at home," he said.

"By bringing billions of pounds of investment into Lanarkshire, we are creating good, well paid jobs and funding support that directly helps families with the cost of living."

Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill said the news marked the next chapter for North Lanarkshire - an area known for its coal and steel manufacturing heritage.

Danny Quinn, managing director of DataVita, said the move would "go beyond physical buildings" and that the benefits would remain local.

He 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 and Scotland, and we want to make sure local people share in it."

Councillor Jim Logue, leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said the growth zone could be "truly transformative".

"It is an opportunity to see the continued resurgence of North Lanarkshire, which was once the centre of Scottish heavy industry, and could soon become the heart that powers the country's future data and digital economy," he said.

"The people here have always had the same spirit and workforce ethic as before. North Lanarkshire didn't just power the industrial revolution, this leap in technology makes us the natural home to lead the next one."