William Eichler 27 January 2025

Council signs off on Europe’s biggest AI data centre

Hertsmere Borough Council has granted outline planning permission for a £3.75bn data centre which promises to deliver thousands of new jobs.

DC01UK will be built on an 85-acre site near the M25 and once completed will be Europe’s largest cloud and AI data centre.

Described as ‘momentous’ by council leader Jeremy Newmark, DC01UK will deliver an estimated 500 skilled on-site construction jobs, 200 permanent, skilled jobs and a further 10,900 indirect jobs.

It is also projected that the AI data centre will generate £21.4m in business rates and £1.1bn in gross value per year.

Cllr Newmark commented: ‘Hertsmere has cleared the way to becoming the home of a data centre which will be integral to serving Britain with cutting-edge technology. It’ll be a piece of critical national infrastructure needed for many generations to come.’

For more on AI, check out: The AI opportunity for government is now.

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