Wales is set to get at least one AI Growth Zone – and that could bring in billions of pounds in investment, 海角视频 ministers say.
The 海角视频 Government said in January that it wanted to create growth zones across the 海角视频 to speed up the development of AI infrastructure, including data centres.
This year it committed £2bn to its AI Opportunities Action Plan and is looking to increase the 海角视频’s computing capacity twenty-fold.
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Now it says Wales will be home to an AI growth zone, as it is already seeing AI investments and has a focus on green energy to power those energy-intensive data centres. The Government says each zone could bring in billions of pounds of investment.
Any new data centres could be used by researchers and businesses to process huge amounts of data quickly, potentially driving innovations in fields from healthcare to climate technology.
The 海角视频 Government says AI Growth Zones “will be areas with large existing power connections, which will be powered by responsible and cutting-edge energy sources like small modular reactors”. Wales has been chosen because it has a “trove of potential sites” and because of the Welsh Government’s ambition to get 100% of its energy from renewable sources within the next decade.
Last year US-based on the site of the former Ford engine plant in Bridgend that could eventually include a cluster of 10 data hubs.
No details have yet been released on where the new zones will be. The Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology said: “Site readiness and local impact will also be key considerations to ensure communities can maximise the benefits that they will deliver. Several promising sites have already been identified through the government's expression of interest process which opened in February, and further information on locations and timelines for delivery will be confirmed in due course.”
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海角视频 Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Peter Kyle said: “From the coalmines of the Valleys to Swansea's mantra of 'Copperopolis', Welsh trailblazers were the beating heart of the industrial revolution. AI is this generation’s next great industrial leap, so who better to help drive that change than a nation which has always been a by-word for innovation.
“While the Spending Review set out a £2 billion commitment which will cement our position as a global leader in AI for the long-term, these Growth Zones will revitalize communities in the here and now - unlocking fresh investment and new opportunities for those that have been left out in the cold for too long. That’s how we’re putting our Plan for Change into action.”
Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, said: “Wales is already home to a thriving and growing tech industry and this investment in at least one AI Growth Zone for Wales is a vote of confidence in the Welsh economy and testament to the skills and potential of our workforce.
“This is another significant step forward in our central mission to kickstart economic growth, create well-paid jobs and unlock opportunity in the industries of the future.”