Connect | London // Debate: The UK AI Growth Zone gamble - A strategic catalyst or politically convenient fiction?

Register your interest
  • —
  • Gallery 3 | 2nd Level
  • Data Center Construction
  • Investment & Markets
  • Open Session

Speakers

James Snook

James Snook

Partner, Flint Global

Allan Bosley

Director - Public Affairs, Ark Data Centres

Jamie Allen

Jamie Allen

Head of Site Selection, EMEA, Iron Mountain

Thomas Buckley

Global Portfolio Manager, DatacenterDynamics

Aurelie Canales

Aurelie Canales

Business Connectivity Portfolio Architecture Director, BT Group

The UK’s AI Growth Zones aim to drive investment beyond the South East and accelerate regional development. But many designated areas face hard constraints: limited grid capacity, weak long‑haul connectivity, shallow labour pools, slow planning cycles, and uncertain commercial demand for compute. Without these fundamentals, Growth Zones risk becoming policy branding rather than viable engines of AI‑era infrastructure.

This session will explore:

  • Whether Growth Zones have the power, fiber, and labor fundamentals to support AI‑scale delivery
  • If investors will back emerging regions or continue favoring metros with predictable grid access and timelines
  • Whether public‑sector planning and private‑sector capital can align to make these zones viable
  • If Growth Zones can meaningfully support a regional economic rebalancing