Scottish Government Considers Moratorium on New Datacentres
The Scottish government is set to review a comprehensive moratorium on the construction of new datacentres, potentially jeopardizing a central component of the UK’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
On Sunday, the Scottish National Party (SNP)’s national council approved a motion to freeze all new datacentre developments in Scotland. This motion has been forwarded to the Scottish government for consideration.
The proposed moratorium could affect all datacentre projects that have not yet obtained planning permission, though the precise terms and implementation will be determined by the Scottish government.
Lesley Backhouse, who attended the SNP national council meeting, expressed concerns about Scotland’s current datacentre plans, describing them as
“overdevelopment”and
“intrusive and not keeping with the local environment.”
Community Concerns and Government Promises
This development follows revelations by on Monday about tensions between developers and the UK government in Scotland. These tensions arose amid community fears that their land would be overtaken by datacentre projects, with assurances of job creation and investment failing to materialize.
One such site in Lanarkshire was designated as an “AI growth zone,” a critical part of the government’s plan to establish national AI infrastructure in rural areas of the UK.
Political Context and AI Strategy Review
The SNP’s resolution emerges amid indications of a broader reassessment of the UK’s AI strategy, coinciding with Andy Burnham’s anticipated succession of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. Burnham is reportedly considering a review of several key elements of Starmer’s technology policies.
has previously reported that an “AI growth zone” in North Tyneside was “struggling to take off,” despite purported backing from OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Additionally, multiple major UK AI projects have been found to be “underperforming,” following government failures to audit investment figures or verify job creation claims.
Graham Simpson, a Member of the Scottish Parliament representing North Lanarkshire, stated:
“I don’t think anyone is arguing that we should not have any datacentres in the UK or Scotland. But there needs to be a proper piece of work at the government level to decide how many the country needs and what is our capacity for them, in terms of our resources.”
Impact on UK AI Strategy and Renewable Energy Concerns
A moratorium on datacentres in Scotland could significantly impact the UK’s broader AI strategy. British officials have promoted Scotland as a prime location for datacentres due to its abundant renewable energy resources. The SNP’s resolution could halt projects such as the Lanarkshire AI growth zone.
The resolution highlights concerns that the number of large datacentres planned in Scotland could exceed the country’s renewable energy capacity.
It notes that 24 “hyperscale” datacentre projects are at various planning stages in Scotland. Collectively, these projects would consume more than one-and-a-half times Scotland’s peak power demand.
Backhouse commented:
“It is extreme overdevelopment. I’m very supportive of the local community and their endeavours to prevent this from happening.”
Criticism of UK AI Investment Strategy
On Monday, Chi Onwurah, chair of the Commons science and technology select committee, criticized the UK’s overall AI investment approach, describing it as
“very opportunistic”due to the absence of a clear plan for achieving technological sovereignty.
She characterized the process as one where
“X or Y or Z says they’re going to invest [and so] we’ll take that as part of an investment plan and then the investments aren’t realised.”
Onwurah also noted that the Starmer government’s AI growth zone initiative suffered from
“a lack of clarity that they were about ensuring that the benefits of AI were felt in the place.”
She added:
“They weren’t matched, as I suppose Andy Burnham might put it, by a comprehensive place-based strategy to make sure that happened.”
Calls for Sovereignty and Government Planning
Onwurah’s committee has urged the incoming government to articulate its plans for protecting the UK’s sovereignty in AI technologies, stating:
“It is essential to ensure that the UK cannot be cut off from key technologies at the whim of a foreign government.”
This warning follows the White House’s decision last month to block foreign access to the most advanced tools developed by the leading US AI company Anthropic. The cross-party committee emphasized that the White House’s temporary export ban
“should be a powerful reminder that the UK may not be able to count on even its allies for access to vital technology.”
Onwurah expressed hope that the new administration would learn from past mistakes and swiftly develop a clear international science and technology collaboration plan.
“I hope the incoming administration will learn from the mistakes of its predecessors and move quickly to create a clear plan for how it will work internationally on science and technology,”
Sovereign AI Fund and Foreign Control Concerns
The call for enhanced sovereignty coincides with the government’s release of further details about the nine companies supported so far under the £500 million Sovereign AI Fund, launched in April to back domestic AI startups.
According to a freedom of information response, four of the nine companies receiving cash investments and offers to use government supercomputers in Bristol and Cambridge are ultimately controlled by American firms.
