George Osborne urged Britain to build more datacentres as the UK pushes AI infrastructure policy.
Why it matters: The comments add pressure to a policy fight over planning, power and AI capacity in the UK. The outcome will shape opportunities and risks for cloud providers, investors, utilities and regulators.
- In comments reported by The Guardian, George Osborne said Britain needs more datacentres to maintain AI sovereignty.
- The UK government's Compute Roadmap says the country will need at least 6GW of AI-capable datacentre capacity by 2030, roughly triple current levels.
- Ministers are trying to speed up siting and power access through AI Growth Zones.
- Ofgem said speculative datacentre applications helped push contracted demand offers from 41GW to 125GW between November 2024 and June 2025.
George Osborne has weighed into the UK's debate over AI infrastructure and the power needed to support it. In comments reported by The Guardian, he said Britain needs more datacentres to maintain AI sovereignty.
The government's Compute Roadmap says the UK will need at least 6GW of AI-capable datacentre capacity by 2030, roughly triple current levels. Ministers are also using AI Growth Zones to try to speed up siting and power access for new compute projects.
Grid constraints are already part of the problem. In July 2026, Ofgem said it had launched a consultation on reforming electricity connection queues after speculative datacentre applications helped push contracted demand offers from 41GW to 125GW between November 2024 and June 2025.
By the numbers
- 6GW - UK's minimum target for AI-capable datacentre capacity by 2030
- 41GW to 125GW - Ofgem's reported jump in contracted demand offers between November 2024 and June 2025
Yes, but: The Osborne remarks are reported through The Guardian, while the policy and grid figures come from official UK and Ofgem sources.
What's next: Ofgem's consultation on reforming electricity connection queues is ongoing.