The UK government has confirmed North Wales as the location of its latest AI growth zone (AIGZ), while also revealing that there is no investment partner in place to get the construction part of the project off the ground.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the zone will “straddle” the Menai Strait to cover parts of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) and Gwynedd, and will create more than 3,400 jobs, including temporary construction roles and higher-paid jobs in artificial intelligence (AI) research and development.
However, the department confirmed in a statement that there is no investment partner in place to seemingly fund the construction portion of the project.
“Work is already underway to secure an investment partner to help deliver the AI growth zone site, and construction work will then swing into action once a deal has been confirmed, expected in the coming months,” said the DSIT statement.
The government has previously announced two other AIGZs – with one in the north east of England, which is known to have secured £10bn in funding (at least in part) from investment management company, Blackstone. The first AIGZ, announced in January 2025 at the headquarters of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, also was announced without a private investment partner lined up to assist with building an AI datacentre there.
The government first announced its AIGZ strategy in January 2025, as part of a package of measures geared towards positioning the UK as an “AI superpower”. The zones are intended to become “hubs” for AI workloads, through the creation of hyperscale AI datacentres in these locations, as well as sites where research and development activities in this field of technology will be carried out.
In support of their development, and to accelerate the time it takes to get the datacentre portion of the AIGZ equation off the ground, the government has set about reforming the planning application process and its energy access protocols.
For example, the government announced on 13 November 2025 that AIGZs will be given priority access to any available energy grid capacity to side-step any delays caused by having to wait for new grid connections. The government confirmed that datacentres located in AIGZs will receive discounts on their energy bills, if located in areas that could help to reduce the pressure on regional energy networks.
An AI planning team has also been established, backed by £4.5m in funding, to support local councils when processing planning applications for AI datacentre builds.
“Getting spades in the ground as quickly as possible to deliver these transformations for local communities is vital,” said DSIT. “Planning guidance has today been updated to give AI infrastructure projects priority. This will slash waiting times from over four years to as little as two, with a dedicated team of AI planning experts also being set up to streamline the approvals process.”
“We said we’d make AI work for Britain – and now we’re putting our money where our mouth is,” said prime minister Keir Starmer, in a statement announcing the North Wales AIGZ. “These growth zones aren’t an abstract conception; they’re about thousands of jobs, real investment and change for communities that have been short-changed for too long.
“In North Wales, that means thousands of new roles and £5m [from the government] to boost skills and help local businesses adopt AI. This is delivery, not dithering – and it’s happening now.”
Liz Kendall, secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said the government’s AIGZ agenda will help “cement Britain’s place as a global leader in AI” and delivery “growth, prosperity and renewal” across the UK.
“AI growth zones will be a game-changer for our communities and will bring thousands of new jobs and millions of pounds in investment right to the places that need it most,” she said. “We will make sure people have the skills they need so they can fully realise the opportunities that AI presents – helping to nurture the tech leaders of tomorrow and supporting our economy with a rich pool of talent.”
