QTS has begun site work on a massive data center project in Northumberland, UK.

The Cambois data center could see an investment of up to £10 billion ($13.2bn) across 10 facilities if fully built out.

"When we said this would create new opportunities for people in the North East, we meant it. Within weeks of announcing, work on the site is already starting – creating new routes for young people to move into employment," Kanishka Narayan, the UK's AI Minister, said.

The project at the site of a former power station site in Blyth was actually announced last year, after battery company Britishvolt canceled factory plans amid bankruptcy proceedings.

This March, the project received outline planning permission from the local council. After initially being pitched as a 1.1GW project, meetings with locals in July had it described as 720MW. QTS confirmed to DCD that the site will support 720MW of critical IT load.

Whatever the scale, the Northumberland data center has been pushed heavily by the UK's Prime Minister and Secretary of State.

"Just two weeks ago, we announced £30 billion ($39.8bn) investment to make the North East the country’s first AI Growth Zone," Kim McGuinness, Mayor of the North East, said.

"We’ve wasted no time, and work is already underway to get the world-class data centers up and running so we can make sure there are opportunities for local people as quickly as possible.”

McGuinness' comment appears to refer to the AI Growth Zone designation for the area from a month ago, which increases a project's grid connection priority. The £30bn figure includes the previously announced £10bn figure, as well as an undefined additional £20bn ($26.6bn) private investment in the area.

“QTS is thrilled to have officially started work on the site of our data center campus," co-CEO Tag Greason said.

"While this is the first step in a long journey, it is a visible milestone of progress made possible by the support of the local community and Northumberland County Council. We want to have a lasting positive impact on the North East, which is why we’ve announced our commitment to create more than a thousand new jobs – boosting the skills of hundreds of local people in the coming years.”

Glen Sanderson, Leader of Northumberland County Council, added: "Today marks a huge step forward towards realizing the massive benefits and opportunities this scheme will bring – not just for this area, but the whole county and the wider region. This is a multi-billion-pound vote of confidence in Northumberland – bringing jobs, cutting-edge technology, and a massive investment in our future. With the enabling works underway, we're looking forward to construction starting on the ground in the near future.”