Senior figures from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and other Whitehall departments have visited Kao Data’s Harlow campus to assess the power, cooling and connectivity requirements that will make or break the UK’s AI Growth Zones (AIGZs).
The field trip, organised by Kao Data in partnership with Arm, Nvidia, Nscale and Ciena, brought together representatives from DSIT, the AI Energy Council, Office for Investment, the Department for Business & Trade (DBT), DESNZ, DEFRA and No 10. Their brief was clear: understand the full AI development lifecycle and the role industrial‑scale data centres must play if the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan is to succeed.
Delegates toured KLON‑01 and KLON‑02, then saw early construction work on KLON‑03, Kao Data’s forthcoming 17.6 MW liquid‑cooled facility designed for high‑density AI workloads. The visit concluded with an exclusive walk‑through of Arm’s high‑performance computing deployment, guided by Arm’s CIO, Sarah Cunningham, and Data Centre Manager Dawn Johnson.
Presentations from Arm, Nvidia, Nscale and Ciena drilled into the interplay between low‑latency fibre, next‑generation CPU and GPU architectures, and scalable data‑centre design – elements the tech sector say are non‑negotiable if the UK hopes to secure long‑term AI leadership.
“The UK continues to hold a leading position in the global AI race and we welcome and embrace the AIGZ initiative but without significant policy reform to key areas like energy policy, AI copyright and the intended AIGZ parameters, our country will never realise the true economic potential of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, or keep pace with our neighbours in the USA, France and Germany,” said Spencer Lamb, CCO, Kao Data.
“This week’s AI field trip proactively brought together senior government officials with leading technology companies to showcase the critical role of infrastructure in delivering UK AI capabilities at‑scale, and discussed the pragmatic steps needed to deliver AI Growth Zones inline with the government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, and its Plan for Change.”
Karl Havard, CCO at Nscale, added, “As the UK pushes forward with its AI Growth Zones, it is crucial that we prioritise AI sovereignty to ensure long‑term resilience and innovation within our borders. At Nscale, we are committed to providing secure, sovereign AI infrastructure that meets the demands of today’s applications and is adaptable for tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Our collaboration with Kao Data and other key partners exemplifies our shared vision for a scalable, sovereign AI ecosystem that can compete globally while safeguarding national interests and economic growth.”
For their part, Kao Data, NVIDIA and Nscale are now refining full AIGZ submissions for multiple UK regions and exploring opportunities for a North West zone centred on Greater Manchester. Whether those plans advance at the pace industry wants may depend on how quickly Westminster can cut energy costs, settle copyright rules and nail down end‑user demand, however.
