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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Robert Booth

AI firms say UK has a year to head off datacentre protests before construction is threatened

A group of protesters outside an event holding signs opposing datacentres
Protesters show their opposition to a datacentre in North Ayrshire. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

AI companies have told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction.

Successive dry summers and rising energy bills are increasing public scrutiny of plans for the huge computer warehouses that are used to train and run AI models, says a submission to the Labour government from a group including the AI infrastructure companies Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco.

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