Nvidia and OpenAI to spend billions on UK data centers – report
Nvidia and OpenAI are set to invest billions of dollars in new data centers across the UK, partnering with provider Nscale. The deal, reported by Bloomberg, will be formally announced during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the country next week. Both Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, are expected to attend, highlighting the scale and importance of the investment package.
Nscale has already revealed plans for a $3 billion site in Loughton, Essex, which will come online in 2026 with a power allocation of 90MW. As part of that project, Nvidia committed to deploying 10,000 of its new Blackwell GPUs in the UK by the end of 2026. The three firms are also working together on Stargate Norway, a massive 230MW+ data center campus, raising the possibility that the UK facilities could be branded as part of the Stargate initiative.
The investment will be a major win for the UK government, which has been pushing to attract data center developments through its new AI Growth Zones, offering incentives such as relaxed planning restrictions and improved power access.
Avaio Digital Partners breaks ground on $6bn data center in Mississippi
Avaio Digital Partners has broken ground on a $6 billion data center campus in Brandon, Mississippi, its largest project to date. The Taurus Data Center Hub will cover 329 acres and deliver 116MW of capacity at full buildout, with the first phase set to be ready by the first half of 2027. Yates Construction will lead the build, while Entergy will provide energy for the site. Avaio said the design will integrate water-efficient systems, rainwater recapture, and natural landscape buffers.
The Mississippi Development Authority has approved the project for the state’s Data Center Enterprises tax exemption, giving it a competitive edge. Avaio Digital Partners, launched in 2021, is targeting sustainable hyperscale developments across the Americas and Europe, with additional projects planned in Texas, Ireland, and Spain. Mississippi’s data center market is beginning to expand, with Amazon planning a $10 billion campus near Jackson and Compass developing outside Meridian.
India’s Maharashtra govt signs $3.4bn MoU with Lodha for green data centre park
The Maharashtra government has signed a $3.4 billion MoU with Lodha Developers to build a 2GW green data center park on 370 acres in Palava City, Dombivli, near Mumbai. The project, set to create 6,000 jobs, will host both global and domestic operators and be powered by green and alternative energy sources.
This deal follows the state’s Green Integrated Data Centre Parks policy, aimed at making Maharashtra a hub for sustainable digital infrastructure. The region is seeing a surge in investment, with recent partnerships including Prestige Group’s $1.42bn Navi Mumbai campus, CapitaLand’s $2.19bn expansion in Pune and Mumbai, and NTT’s $100m acquisition in Andheri.
BlackRock to invest $678m in UK data center venture
BlackRock has committed $678 million to launch Gravity Edge, a new UK data center venture with Digital Gravity Partners (DGP). The initiative will focus on acquiring and modernizing underutilized facilities with 5–20MW of capacity, rather than building ground-up hyperscale sites. BlackRock has already acquired a West London data center to seed the venture, investing £100m ($136m) from its Europe Property Fund VI to upgrade the facility.
Gravity Edge will enhance energy efficiency, rack density, and sellable capacity, positioning itself as a go-to provider of mission-critical infrastructure close to major cities. The platform could also expand into Europe. This move builds on BlackRock’s growing digital infrastructure strategy, which includes ownership of Mainova Webhouse and participation in the $30bn AI Infrastructure Partnership alongside Microsoft, MGX, and Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund.
Google opens Hertfordshire data center as part of £5bn UK investment
Google has opened a new data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, as part of a £5 billion ($6.8bn) UK investment plan over the next two years. UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves inaugurated the facility, highlighting it as a “powerful vote of confidence” in the UK economy. The broader investment package covers infrastructure, R&D, and Google’s AI division DeepMind, with the company estimating that AI could add £400bn to the UK economy by 2030.
Alongside the launch, Google announced a clean energy partnership with Shell, which will manage its UK energy portfolio to balance renewable supply using battery energy storage. Google expects its UK operations to run on 95% clean energy by 2026, with the Hertfordshire site already featuring advanced air cooling and readiness for district heating. The tech giant is also reportedly weighing another data center project in Teesside.
Vantage Data centers launches second campus in London, UK
Vantage Data Centers has launched its second London campus in Park Royal, spanning 194,000 sq ft with 20MW of IT capacity. The £250m ($340m) investment incorporates sustainable features such as air-source heat pumps, low PUE design, and a connection to a district heating network to reuse waste heat. The new facility builds on Vantage’s UK expansion strategy, which already includes LHR1 in North Acton and a campus in Cardiff, Wales.
A unique feature of the new site is a permanent public art installation titled “11 Million Dots”, developed with local artist Rafael El Baz and consultancy Loom. The six-story facade artwork transforms community sounds and voices into binary-inspired patterns, turning the building into both a data hub and cultural monument. Vantage emphasized that the campus supports growing cloud and AI demand while also contributing to community identity.
Microsoft to build data center in Elsdorf, Germany
Microsoft is planning a new data center in Elsdorf, Germany, on a 26-hectare site just south of Heppendorf. The project, described by Elsdorf’s mayor as a milestone “from coal to AI,” is expected to bring innovation, sustainable jobs, and long-term economic growth to the small town in North Rhine-Westphalia.
This development adds to Microsoft’s ongoing projects in nearby Bergheim and Bedburg, both slated to go live in 2026. Together, the three sites strengthen the company’s regional cloud infrastructure, aligning with its €3.2 billion ($3.44bn) investment to double AI and cloud capacity in Germany. The expansion supports Microsoft’s West Central Azure region in Frankfurt and reflects its strategy of building resilient multi–Availability Zone operations across the country.
CoreWeave plans £1.5bn UK AI data center investment, will deploy Nvidia GPUs at Scotland’s DataVita data center
CoreWeave has announced a £1.5 billion ($2bn) investment in UK AI data center capacity, adding to a previous £1bn commitment. As part of the expansion, the US neocloud provider will deploy Nvidia Grace Blackwell Ultra GPUs at DataVita’s facilities in Scotland, including the 40MW DV1 and 1MW DV2 sites. The deployment will rely on renewable energy and closed-loop cooling systems, strengthening Scotland’s role in the UK’s digital economy.
The move comes during a wave of data center announcements tied to US President Donald Trump’s UK visit, alongside Google’s £5bn investment and BlackRock’s $678m venture. CoreWeave’s CEO Michael Intrator said the initiative will establish one of the world’s largest sustainable compute hubs, driving innovation and AI leadership. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the investment as a “vote of confidence” in Britain’s AI future, highlighting its potential to create skilled jobs and transform public services.
Data4 breaks ground on data center project in Hanau, Germany
Data4 has broken ground on a €2 billion ($2.37bn) data center campus in Hanau, Germany, on the site of the former Großauheim military base. The 180MW campus, developed by Brookfield-owned Data4, is expected to create several hundred jobs and run entirely on renewable energy. Plans include a combined heat and power plant, an electrical substation, and the reuse of waste heat to warm nearby homes.
“The campus in Hanau, with its 180MW power capacity, is an important building block for the digital transformation of both the region and Germany as a whole,” said Hesse’s Minister for Digital Affairs, Prof. Dr. Kristina Sinemus. Olivier Micheli, president and CEO of Data4, added: “We want to develop the new campus in Hanau into one of the most powerful, sustainable, and innovative data center locations in Europe, and thus contribute to the digital future of the continent.”
Keppel inks deal with Dell to develop data centers, AI platforms in Asia
Keppel Ltd., through its Connectivity division, has signed a strategic framework agreement with Dell Technologies to co-develop AI platforms and data centers across Asia, with a focus on Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The collaboration will also include AsiaPac Technology, part of Keppel’s Connectivity Division, which has previously worked with Dell on infrastructure resale, professional services, and enterprise AI applications in the region. The facilities planned under this venture will feature green data centers and AI platforms tailored for industries such as healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, retail, and telecommunications.
“By combining Dell’s technological expertise, enterprise reach and advanced infrastructure with Keppel’s deep operating capabilities across the digital infrastructure value chain, we will create future-ready, efficient data centres and advanced AI platforms that will support digital transformation across Asia,” said Manjot Singh Mann, CEO, Connectivity, Keppel. The deal builds on Keppel’s broader partnerships, which include existing framework agreements with companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) to collaborate on data centers, subsea cables, and renewable energy.
Vantage enters Spain, to invest €3.2 billion in Zaragoza data center campus
Vantage Data Centers has announced its entry into the Spanish market with a €3.2 billion ($3.78bn) investment to develop a large-scale data center campus in Villanueva de Gállego, Zaragoza. The project, carried out in collaboration with Desarrollos Ecoindustriales La Cartuja, will span 40 hectares and be developed in five phases over the next ten years. According to the Government of Aragon, the facility already has 90MW of electricity supply secured through Endesa and is expected to generate up to 520 permanent direct jobs by the final phase.
“To accompany this project, last Wednesday the Governing Council approved the DIGA [declaration of regional interest with general interest] of this initiative, which already has 90MW of electricity supply granted through Endesa,” said Jorge Azcón, president of the Government of Aragon. He added: “With this major investment of €3.2 billion ($3.78bn), Aragon reaches €57.9bn ($65.5bn) in investments since the beginning of the legislature. It is important to remember that these business investments go far beyond astronomical figures. They have an impact on GDP, thousands of jobs, and a fiscal footprint that will strengthen Aragon’s public services.”
CleanArc gets green light for 600MW data center campus in Caroline County, Virginia
CleanArc Data Centers has secured planning permission to develop a 650-acre data center campus in Caroline County, Virginia, on the former site of the Virginia Bazaar flea market. The project will consist of three buildings with two data halls each, targeting 200MW by Q3 2026 and an additional 300MW by mid-2027, eventually scaling to more than 600MW. The company expects to spend up to $8.8 billion and create 50 full-time jobs. Officials highlighted that the development will provide a major boost to county revenues, with $13 million in annual tax revenue—equivalent to 17 percent of the county’s general fund budget.
“In exchange for this anticipated capital investment and job creation, the county will provide funds to its Economic Development Authority for the purpose of making annual grant payments to CleanArc and its tenants upon the completion of each building,” said county officials. They added: “These funds can be used in a myriad of critically important ways by the county. Among other things, this tax revenue will be needed for new and upgraded schools, new county facilities, fire engines and ambulances, EMS providers and sheriff’s office deputies, water and sewer upgrades, road improvements, and other increasing expenses on the horizon.”
CyrusOne breaks ground on New Albany, Ohio data center
CyrusOne has broken ground on its COL-1 facility in New Albany, Ohio, located at 12181 Jug St. While details on capacity, size, and development timelines remain undisclosed, earlier reports indicated the company planned to invest $50 million in land acquisition and $100 million in construction. The project also benefits from a ten-year, 75 percent data center sales tax exemption valued at $5.4 million, awarded by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. CyrusOne announced on LinkedIn that Hitt Contracting will lead the construction.
New Albany, a suburb of Columbus, has quickly become a data center hotspot. In recent months, Karis Critical acquired 115 acres of land in the area, Vantage expanded its campus, and Google purchased 85 acres for a potential facility. CyrusOne, owned by private equity firm KKR, operates more than 50 data centers globally, with three existing facilities in the Cincinnati area.
Microsoft increases Wisconsin data center investment to $7.3bn, says Fairwater site will be “world’s most powerful data center”
Microsoft is nearing completion of its $3.3 billion Fairwater data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, and has committed an additional $4 billion for a second facility of similar scale, bringing its total state investment to $7.3 billion. The Fairwater site, spanning 315 acres with three buildings totaling 1.2 million sq ft, is described by the company as the “world’s most powerful data center.” Microsoft said it will host hundreds of thousands of Nvidia GB200 GPUs, connected by enough fiber “to wrap the planet four times over,” and claims it will deliver ten times the performance of today’s fastest supercomputers.
Built primarily for AI training and inference, the Fairwater campus uses advanced infrastructure, including 46.6 miles of deep foundation piles, 26.5 million pounds of structural steel, and 120 miles of underground cabling. Around 90 percent of the facility will run on a closed-loop liquid cooling system, dramatically reducing water usage compared to traditional cooling. Microsoft is also backing a new 250MW solar project in Portage County to match the site’s energy demand. The first facility will employ around 500 people, expanding to 800 once the second data center is operational.
