Californian digital infrastructure company Equinix has announced plans to invest £3.9bn into a data centre development in Hertfordshire.
The site, which will be built on an 85-acre plot of land recently acquired by the company, will add 250+ MW of compute capacity to the UK.
There have been plans to place a major data centre in the plot since 2024, originally under the name DC01UK.
Equinix said construction of the site will generate 2,500 local jobs, with the fully operational facility to create 200 permanent roles.
Analysis from KPMG suggested the Hertfordshire Campus could add £3bn in gross value added to the UK economy during construction and up to £260m once operational.
Nasdaq-listed Equinix operates over 270 data centres across six continents, having entered the industry almost 30 years ago.
“The UK is a cornerstone of the global economy and is a natural home for our most substantial investment in Europe to date,” said James Tyler, UK managing director of Equinix.
“This development brings a significant amount of data centre capacity to Britain, contributing to the government’s AI growth ambition. But this investment goes far beyond building the infrastructure needed to unlock the UK’s digital potential. It’s the evolution of an ongoing partnership with the local and national community.”
The announcement is the latest in a series of recent data centre investment pledges in the UK, many of which have come from US firms, including CoreWeave, Google and Microsoft.
The rapid scaling of UK-based digital infrastructure is a key element of the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, the Tech Department’s flagship plan to support the AI sector.
“This investment is a huge win for Britain. It will give businesses – from life sciences to high street banks – the ability to connect to thousands of other businesses across the world in an instant, powering our AI ambitions, boosting growth and creating hundreds of well-paid jobs,” said Tech Secretary Liz Kendall.
“This is about making sure the UK is at the forefront of the digital revolution and ensuring that every community benefits from the opportunities this new technology brings.”
