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, the 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.”