Google pledges £5 billion to U.K. AI infrastructure as it opens Waltham Cross data centre

Google on Tuesday announced it will invest £5 billion in the United Kingdom over the next two years to expand artificial intelligence services, inaugurating a new data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire.

The company said the spending will go to capital expenditure, research and development, engineering and expanded energy capacity, and will support AI research at Google DeepMind in science and healthcare. Google estimated the investment would contribute to the creation of thousands of jobs across the U.K., forecasting about 8,250 jobs annually at British businesses tied to the work.

The announcement coincided with the opening ceremony at the Waltham Cross facility, where U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves described the commitment as a "powerful vote of confidence in the U.K. economy and the strength of our partnership with the U.S., creating jobs and economic growth for years to come." Reeves said the government has been reducing regulatory barriers and reforming planning to unlock investment, remarks that accompanied the launch.

Ruth Porat, Google’s chief investment officer, said the company has trained one million British people with skills to support AI adoption over the past decade and that Britain’s potential with AI could add £400 billion to the economy by 2030. Porat said Google’s investment would support "technical infrastructure, expanded energy capacity and job-ready AI skills" so local communities "stay at the cutting-edge of global tech opportunities." Demis Hassabis, co-founder and chief executive of DeepMind, reiterated the company’s long-standing London base, saying the U.K. has the talent to be "a global hub for pioneering AI."

Google said some 250 companies, many local to Waltham Cross, were involved in the construction of the new data centre. The company did not provide a detailed breakdown of the capital allocation or a full schedule of planned projects within the two-year time frame.

Reports from other outlets said OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, and chip-maker Nvidia are also set to announce substantial investments in U.K. data centres this week. Those reports emerged as U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in London for a state visit; Google did not link its announcement to the diplomatic schedule.

Analysts and policymakers have highlighted data centres and AI infrastructure as key to national competitiveness in technology. The U.K. government has sought to position the country as an AI hub by supporting research institutions, skills programmes and regulatory frameworks aimed at encouraging investment.

Google’s statement framed the £5 billion pledge as both an expansion of its cloud and AI capabilities in the U.K. and an extension of its DeepMind research agenda. The company reiterated commitments to training and local hiring while acknowledging the investments will require coordination on planning, energy and workforce development with national and local authorities.