UK AI datacentre policy was developed without meetings with environmental groups, investigation finds
Officials who developed the UK government's AI growth zones policy held no meetings with environmental organisations while shaping it, according to an investigation by Spotlight on Corruption, reported by the Guardian. The policy planned large datacentres, the computing facilities that house servers, across five regions of the UK.
The investigation found that ministers, permanent secretaries (the most senior civil servants in each department) and directors general involved in the policy met 137 businesses to discuss Britain's datacentre policy. Senior officials developing the policy met two community groups, and no environmental organisations.
The investigation also found that 38 ministers, senior civil servants and special advisers, who are political aides to ministers, were hired into positions at AI companies between July 2024 and September 2026. Nine of the 38 came from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
To gather details of meetings and investment figures covering July 2024 to June 2026, Spotlight on Corruption filed 40 freedom of information requests, which are formal demands for official records, to 18 government agencies over 12 months.
The programme's future has also been unsettled. DatacenterDynamics reported in July that the AI Growth Zone programme was in limbo after DSIT closed, and that its new home had yet to be decided.
The government's own publication, Delivering AI Growth Zones, says the zones are meant to tackle barriers to investment in AI data centres, including slow and inconsistent planning processes and delays.
The wider context is one of rapid expected growth. Reuters reported in October 2025 that spending on new UK data centres was projected to rise to £10 billion a year by 2029, more than five times the 2024 level. In April 2026, Reuters reported that OpenAI had paused its main data centre project in Britain, citing an unfavourable regulatory environment and high energy costs.
Water is another part of the picture. A UK government report states that the growth of artificial intelligence is driving increased water consumption, mainly for cooling data centres.
