Blackstone announces £10bn investment into UK AI data centre

Blackstone has confirmed they’ll be investing around £10bn into the UK for an artificial data centre in Blyth, situated in the North East of England.

The development will create 4,000 jobs including 1,200 during the construction period – with the project housed on the site formerly outlined for the BritishVolt battery plant which was set to serve the EV market.

The aim is to start construction next year on improving the local infrastructure in the area.

Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer said the investment “shows the UK is open for business” and it follows news earlier in the month that Angela Rayner had called in several sites once rejected for data centres by the former Conservative Government to review those decisions – clearly labelling the new Government’s focus on the sector to drive economic growth.

Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone, said: “The UK is a top investment market for Blackstone because of its powerful combination of talent and innovation along with a highly transparent legal system. We are making significant commitments to building social housing, facilitating the energy transition, growing life sciences companies and developing critical infrastructure needed to fuel the digital economy. This includes a projected £10 billion investment to build one of Europe’s largest hyperscale data centres supporting 4,000 jobs. Blackstone is committed to Britain.”

Starmer added: “The number one mission of my Government is to grow our economy so that hard working British people reap the benefits, and more foreign investment is a crucial part of that plan.”