- The Bank has committed £35m as part of the financing while a £202m National Wealth Fund guarantee unlocks a debt facility from a syndicate of lenders
- Financing will deliver expansion and construction of two data centres in the North Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone, with full capacity of both contracted to CoreWeave under a 15-year agreement
- Connection to Scotland’s low-carbon energy mix and use of closed-loop cooling reduces draw on resources[1]
DataVita has secured a c.£300 million debt facility to expand and build two data centres in the North Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone. The Bank has committed £35m, alongside a £202m guarantee from the National Wealth Fund, which has unlocked £252.5m of lending delivered by ING, ABN AMRO and Santander. Investment from the Bank and Siemens Financial Services is uncovered by the guarantee.
The investment will expand DataVita’s existing DV1 data centre and fund the construction of a new data centre, DV3. The capacity of both is contracted to CoreWeave, the AI infrastructure provider to many of the world’s leading AI labs, under a 15-year lease agreement.
The financing will enable the delivery of Scotland’s first AI data centres within a designated AI Growth Zone, strengthening sovereign AI capability and driving growth in the wider Glasgow City Region2. This development of DV1 and DV3 will act as the first step in a larger planned data centre campus in the area, helping to establish North Lanarkshire as a key location for AI infrastructure in the UK. The two developments financed by this facility will create around 600 jobs during construction as well as c.100 permanent high-skilled jobs once completed.
DataVita has been part of Scotland’s digital infrastructure for more than ten years and is the country’s largest independent data centre developer and operator. The company delivers AI infrastructure end to end, from low-carbon energy, data centres, sovereign cloud and connectivity to the AI platforms its customers run. Its customers include central government, local authorities and universities, which rely on DataVita to keep critical national workloads on sovereign UK infrastructure. Earlier this year, DataVita’s North Lanarkshire site was awarded Scotland’s first AI Growth Zone designation, recognising the company’s role in building the next generation of UK AI infrastructure.
The Scottish Government’s Economy Secretary, Stephen Flynn, said: “This investment marks a milestone in the creation of Scotland’s first AI Growth Zone in North Lanarkshire. I welcome the economic growth it is set to deliver across the region – including more than 3,400 new jobs and private investment totalling more than £8 billion.
“The Scottish Government’s AI Strategy sets out a clear plan to harness the economic and social benefits of AI to help ensure we translate our innovation and expertise into more businesses, jobs and investment.
“We will continue to work closely with DataVita and Growth Zone partners to realise the full economic and employment opportunities of this investment over the coming years.”
Robin Tayal, Investment Director at the Scottish National Investment Bank, said: "As demand for AI infrastructure continues to accelerate, there is an opportunity to build the digital foundations needed to support innovation, attract investment and strengthen economic resilience. DataVita is playing a leading role in developing that capability, setting the pace in a strategically important and fast-growing sector."
Ross Dobbie, Investment Director at the Scottish National Investment Bank, said: "This financing brings together a strong commercial proposition with clear long-term strategic value. DataVita has established itself as Scotland's largest independent data centre operator, and we are pleased to support infrastructure that can underpin economic growth while helping expand the country's sovereign digital capability."
UK AI Minister, Kanishka Narayan, said: "AI is already helping scientists discover new medicines, supporting better public services and helping businesses get more done. The countries that build the infrastructure behind this technology will be the ones that attract investment, create jobs and help shape the industries of the future.
"That's why today's announcements matter. They will help ensure Scotland is at the forefront of one of the biggest economic opportunities of our time, bringing investment, reindustrialisation and opportunities to communities like Lanarkshire.
"For local people, that means more than new buildings and technology. It means the chance to develop new skills, access new careers and benefit from the growth and investment that AI can bring."
Danny Quinn, Managing Director at DataVita, said: “There is plenty of talk about AI infrastructure just now. This project is being delivered: work is well advanced on site, every megawatt is contracted, and the first facility completes this year. DataVita delivers AI infrastructure end to end, from the energy that powers it through to the applications that run on it. We have been doing this in Scotland for more than ten years. The UK needs its own AI capability, built here and run here, and we are grateful to the National Wealth Fund and our lenders for backing a project that is already delivering it.”
He added: “This type of investment in Scotland’s data centre infrastructure would have been unthinkable just two or three years ago. That is the impact AI is having. Scotland has all the right ingredients to take advantage of the AI revolution and make it a core part of its economy.”
- DataVita’s commitment to operational efficiency, combined with Scotland’s low-carbon electricity mix, naturally cool climate and the use of closed-loop cooling, will help improve the resource efficiency of the development as demand for AI infrastructure continues to grow.
- In February 2025, Glasgow City Region was announced as one of four areas across the UK to benefit from a Strategic Partnership with the National Wealth Fund, designed to deepen relationships with local leaders and unlock the investment needed to achieve their local growth goals. Read more about the partnership here.
