Scotland could freeze new datacentres, threatening the UK’s AI plan

Scotland’s governing party wants to freeze every new datacentre in the country. If ministers agree, a core pillar of the UK’s AI strategy could stall.

The Scottish government is weighing a sweeping moratorium on new datacentres. Last Sunday, the Scottish National Party (SNP) voted to freeze all new builds, the Guardian reports. The motion now sits with ministers.

As drafted, the freeze could cover every datacentre project that has not yet won planning permission. The exact scope is for the government to set. Lesley Backhouse, a councillor from one of the constituencies behind the motion, called the current plans “extreme overdevelopment”.

Why Scotland matters to the AI plan

British officials have pushed Scotland as the prime home for datacentres, thanks to its plentiful renewable energy. That makes a freeze awkward. It could halt sites such as the Lanarkshire “AI growth zone”. That project anchors the plan to build national AI infrastructure across rural Britain.

The numbers stand out. The SNP resolution counts 24 “hyperscale” projects at various planning stages in Scotland. Together, it says, they would draw more than one-and-a-half times the power the country uses at peak demand.

Graham Simpson, a member of the Scottish parliament for North Lanarkshire, was blunt. He wants “a proper piece of work at the government level” on how many datacentres Britain needs. He added that few people oppose datacentres outright.

A wider reckoning

The vote lands amid growing doubts about the UK’s AI push. Take North Tyneside. The Guardian recently found its “growth zone” looked more like a publicity stunt than a viable project, despite OpenAI’s backing. Other big schemes proved to be “phantom investments”.

The worry runs deeper than hype. The datacentre boom strains grids and pushes up power bills elsewhere. Andy Burnham, the favourite to replace Keir Starmer, reportedly wants a review of the technology policy.

The sovereignty question

Chi Onwurah, who chairs the Commons science and technology committee, called the wider strategy “very opportunistic”. Her committee urged the next government to guard its access to critical technology.

The warning has teeth. Last month the White House restricted foreign access to the most powerful tools from Anthropic, a leading US AI firm. That, the committee said, shows Britain “may not be able to count on even its allies”. Europe already scrambles to keep its access.

Why it matters

A freeze would not end AI in Britain. Datacentres will still rise, in Scotland and beyond. But the vote marks a shift. Communities and politicians want a say in where the boom lands. They also want proof the jobs will materialise.

Governments keep pouring billions into datacentre build-outs and national AI plans. Scotland’s message is simple. Consent, power, and local benefit now weigh as much as raw capacity. Ministers must decide whether one of Britain’s best sites stays open for business.