Scotland weighs datacentre freeze that could disrupt UK AI plans

The Scottish government is set to consider an SNP national council motion calling for a moratorium on all new datacentres in Scotland. The proposal could apply to projects that have not yet received planning permission, though ministers would decide the exact scope. Lesley Backhouse, a councillor from one of the constituencies behind the motion, described current plans as overdevelopment that would be intrusive and out of keeping with local environments.

The move could affect the UK’s AI strategy, which has positioned Scotland as a prime location for datacentres because of its renewable energy supply. A planned Lanarkshire hub was intended to become an “AI growth zone”, but community concerns have grown over land use, promised jobs and investment. The SNP resolution says there are 24 “hyperscale” datacentre projects in various stages of planning in Scotland, which together would use more than one-and-a-half times the power Scotland uses at peak demand.

Broader scrutiny of UK AI policy is also intensifying. Commons science and technology committee chair Chi Onwurah criticised the investment strategy as “very opportunistic” and called for a clearer plan to protect UK sovereignty in AI. The government has also disclosed that, under the £500m Sovereign AI Fund, Four of the nine companies backed so far are ultimately controlled by American firms.