During the government’s International Investment Summit, several US tech firms made a big announcement: CyrusOne, ServiceNow, Cloud HQ, and CoreWeave plan to expand in the UK with a combined investment of £6.3 billion.
Recently, the UK government identified datacentres as critical national infrastructure. In July, they appointed entrepreneur Matt Clifford to lead an AI Opportunities Action Plan, aiming to enhance AI uptake across the economy. His job includes evaluating the AI infrastructure, talent, and data needed to support both public and private sectors in adopting AI technologies.
Since Labour took office, the UK has seen over £25 billion in investments in datacentres, signaling the government’s commitment to growth through business partnerships. Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, highlighted that these new datacentres will boost the UK’s computing power and data storage, which is essential for advancing AI technologies in sectors like healthcare.
CyrusOne announced plans for a £2.5 billion UK investment set to start by the end of 2028, contingent on planning approval. This expansion is expected to create over 1,000 jobs directly and in connected construction roles. Eric Schwartz, the president and CEO of CyrusOne, expressed confidence in the UK’s strategic emphasis on datacentres and its role in fostering a strong digital services and technology innovation landscape.
CloudHQ aims to build a new £1.9 billion datacentre campus in Didcot, Oxfordshire. This facility will address the growing demand for AI and machine learning, generating 1,500 jobs during construction and 100 permanent positions once operational. CloudHQ’s CEO, Hossein Fateh, emphasized the project’s focus on scaling to meet customer needs.
ServiceNow is also making a significant bet on the UK, planning to invest £1.15 billion over the next five years. This investment includes establishing datacentres powered by Nvidia technology and expanding office space for its 1,000 employees. Bill McDermott, ServiceNow’s CEO, spoke about the potential for AI to transform lives, employees, and customer experiences across the country.
CoreWeave, the AI hyperscaler, is making its second investment in the UK this year, contributing £750 million to bolster next-gen AI cloud infrastructure. This follows their earlier £1 billion investment and the opening of their European headquarters in London. CEO Mike Intrator noted the UK’s strong talent pool as a significant factor in their decision to ramp up investment in critical infrastructure.
These announcements come in the wake of significant commitments from other firms, including Blackstone’s £10 billion investment in the north-east of England and Amazon Web Services’ plans to invest £8 billion in UK datacentres over the next five years.