UK Chancellor Hunt Pledges to Avoid Disorderly Expansion of Data Centers

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt stated that the UK will avoid the disorderly expansion of data centers that has sparked public and political backlash in the US, in order to protect investments in artificial intelligence. He mentioned during a session of the House of Commons Treasury Committee that a new data center covenant was introduced in the budget proposal disclosed in October, aimed at preventing the data center debates seen in the US from being repeated in the UK. Hunt emphasized that achieving the target of 6 gigawatts of computing capacity is a matter of sovereignty, expressing a desire to ensure that health and security data used for AI is not stored abroad, and that the capability to protect independence must be in place. He indicated a readiness to reject data centers that do not bring benefits to the community. The covenant warns that the UK cannot rely on overseas infrastructure, and that domestic data center capacity will enhance resilience. Hunt's remarks come against the backdrop of the November midterm elections in the US, where public anger over the power and water demands of data centers helped the Democrats secure victories, with many candidates making this issue a core topic. The UK aims to accelerate the deployment of data centers, targeting a tripling of computing capacity to 6 gigawatts by 2030, ensuring communities benefit from investments and lowering electricity prices to gain local support.

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