An AI Growth Zone will be established in the North East after the government unveiled a new tech agreement with the USA.
The Tech Prosperity Deal, signed during US President Donald Trump’s state visit, will result in more than £31bn being invested in artificial intelligence (AI) and tech infrastructure across the UK.
It will be the second AI Growth Zone in the country – the first being in Oxfordshire – and will offer data centres fast-track planning consent and Grid connections.
North Tyneside’s Cobalt Park will be one of the sites to receive initial deployment of semi-conductor chips for OpenAI’s Stargate UK project.
Designation as an AI Growth Zone could attract an additional £20bn of investment in a former industrial site in Blyth, Northumberland, where private equity investor Blackstone has already committed £10bn to build new data centres.
The UK government has also made an agreement with the US to fast-track nuclear power regulation.
Under the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy, if a reactor has already passed ‘rigorous’ safety checks in either the UK or the US, this work can be used by the other party to support its assessment, avoiding duplication of work.
This ‘smarter streamlined’ approach will speed up approvals for advanced designs, such as Rolls-Royce’s small modular reactor (SMR), to around 24 months, the UK government claims.
Several nuclear deals were also announced, including plans by US developer X-energy and Centrica to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors in Hartlepool, paving the way for the rollout of 6GW across the UK.
Other projects include an £11bn plan by EDF, US nuclear company Holtec and logistics developers Tritax to develop advanced data centres, powered by SMRs, at the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire.
US nuclear developer Last Energy and DP World have also unveiled plans to build micro modular nuclear power plants to supply power for the expansion of DP World’s London Gateway port and business park.
