The UK authorities’s AI Progress Zones technique: All the things you’ll want to know
The federal government is on a mission to make the UK a synthetic intelligence (AI) superpower, by accelerating the adoption of the expertise throughout the private and non-private sectors to supercharge the economic system.
In keeping with the federal government, embracing AI will generate efficiencies in the best way that companies and public sector organisations function, however reaching this can require the UK to develop the homegrown datacentre infrastructure wanted to host compute-intensive AI workloads.
Up to now, the federal government outlined a dedication in January 2025 – following the publication of its AI alternatives motion plan – to broaden the UK’s sovereign compute capability by at the least 20-fold by 2030. And that is the place the federal government’s AI Progress Zones technique comes into play, which was one other of the standout inclusions within the Motion Plan.
However what are AI Progress Zones? And the way are they anticipated to assist the UK authorities obtain its AI-focused goals and targets?
What’s an AI Progress Zone?
In keeping with the federal government, AI Progress Zones are designated websites which can be well-suited to housing AI-enabled datacentres and their supporting infrastructure. Ideally, these zones ought to have “enhanced entry” to energy provides of at the least 500MW and sympathetic planning help. It’s because datacentres are notoriously power-hungry entities, and siting them in areas the place vitality is in short-supply might decelerate the time it takes to convey one among these new AI server farms on-line.
That is additionally why the federal government is prioritising areas the place it’s attainable to fast-track the method of securing planning permission for a brand new datacentres, as a result of there are quite a few examples of comparable initiatives being kicked into the lengthy grass due to planning points.
To handle each these factors, the federal government has stated it’s seeking to construct AI Progress Zones in de-industrialised components of the nation that may be readily redeveloped to hurry up the time it takes to convey them on-line.
Has the federal government achieved the rest to fast-track the event of datacentres?
It’s assumed the federal government’s resolution to prioritise functions for AI Progress Zones in current de-industrialised areas is as a result of it’ll make it simpler for datacentre builders to get sign-off for his or her initiatives as a result of these areas have beforehand undergone growth.
Nonetheless, along with that, the federal government – since coming to energy in July 2024 – has made a concerted effort to decrease the planning obstacles to datacentre developments in different methods.
This started with the launch of a session in July 2024, led by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Native Authorities, searching for views on the right way to make rapid modifications to the Nationwide Planning Coverage Framework to fast-track the event of large-scale infrastructure developments, comparable to datacentres.
The federal government additionally vowed that planning choices about large-scale infrastructure initiatives will probably be taken nationally, reasonably than regionally. This has already resulted in deputy prime minister Angela Rayner reviewing choices to dam the builds of two datacentres as a result of permitting them to proceed is within the pursuits of the nationwide economic system.
Are there any AI Progress Zones in operation but?
The federal government confirmed in its January 2025 AI alternatives motion plan paper that the situation of the primary pilot AI Progress Zone had already been selected, and can be positioned in Culham, Oxfordshire, on the headquarters of the UK Atomic Vitality Authority (UKAEA).
“The federal government and UKAEA will search a personal sector companion who would develop one of many UK’s largest AI datacentres, starting with 100MW of capability and with plans to scale as much as 500MW,” the doc said. “The pilot would pioneer progressive public-private fashions to ship safe, devoted public sector computing capability, supporting key nationwide priorities.”
It is usually understood the location will probably be used as a testing floor for analysis into sustainable vitality sources, as a part of the federal government’s dedication to powering its AI ambitions with inexperienced vitality.
How does the federal government determine the place to construct AI Progress Zones?
A month after the AI alternatives motion plan dropped, the federal government introduced in February 2025 that it was inviting native and regional authorities throughout the nation to submit bids for his or her areas to change into residence to AI Progress Zones.
Secretary of state for science, innovation and expertise Peter Kyle stated on the time: “These new AI development zones will ship untold alternatives – sparking new jobs, recent funding and guaranteeing each nook of the nation has an actual stake in our AI-powered future. We’re leaving no stone unturned in how we are able to harness experience from everywhere in the UK to ship new alternatives, recent development, higher public providers and cement our place as an AI pioneer.”
The federal government has additionally indicated that it’s notably excited about AI Progress Zone proposals that might convey at the least 500MW AI compute capability on-line by 2030.
How a lot curiosity has the federal government had from native authorities wanting to deal with AI Progress Zones?
In April 2025, the federal government confirmed that 200 native authorities throughout the UK had expressed an curiosity of their areas changing into AI Progress Zones, and that it might start progressing a few of these bids by the top of that month. The concept being that councils which have submitted profitable bids will probably be notified someday in the summertime of 2025.
What areas are vying to change into AI Progress Zones?
The federal government claimed in February 2025 that it had acquired curiosity from web site homeowners in Scotland, Wales, the North East and North West of England about the potential of creating an AI Progress Zone in these areas.
Since then, particulars about particular areas that need to be within the operating to change into AI Progress Zones have began to emerge, with North Lincolnshire Council identified to have thrown its hat into the ring.
The council claims changing into an AI Progress Zone would entice £15bn in personal enterprise funding to the world, and create 1.5 gigawatts of AI processing capability, with plans to construct 4 AI-enabled datacentres within the area.
The Metropolis of Doncaster Council has additionally utilized for consideration for the town to change into an AI Progress Zone, as a part of a broader push by the native authority to determine a Centre of Excellence for AI within the area.
One other bid can also be identified to have been submitted as a part of a collaboration, together with The College of York and North Yorkshire Council, in addition to different personal sector entities.
