Artificial Intelligence1 min read

Brookfield targets $27 billion AI data center at power station. Energy firm Drax surges 8%

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The joint project aims to launch an initial 100 megawatts of capacity by the first quarter of 2028 backed by an opening £2.5 billion investment. Over the following three years, the partners intend to deploy an additional 500 megawatts, with a long-term target of surpassing 1 gigawatt. The complete multi-phase development could ultimately cost upwards of £20 billion ($26.8 billion) when factoring in advanced semiconductors.

Key points

  • The total potential outlay of $26.8 billion covers both the physical site development and…: The total potential outlay of $26.8 billion covers both the physical site development and expensive semiconductor hardware.
  • Long-term development plans at the North Yorkshire facility are designed to eventually ex…: Long-term development plans at the North Yorkshire facility are designed to eventually exceed 1 gigawatt of total capacity.
  • The project pairs Brookfield's Radiant neocloud platform directly with an established ene…: The project pairs Brookfield's Radiant neocloud platform directly with an established energy estate to alleviate regional power constraints.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Brookfield is targeting a massive artificial intelligence data center in the north of England, as Europe scrambles to develop infrastructure to support the rollout of AI amid high energy and land costs.

Energy company Drax Group said Tuesday it has signed an agreement with Brookfield and the asset manager's neocloud platform Radiant to jointly develop an AI data center on the Drax Power Station estate in North Yorkshire. London-listed shares of Drax were up 8.2% in early morning trading.

The project is initially targeting up to 100 megawatts of capacity to be operational from the first quarter of 2028, with an additional 500 MW of capacity brought online between 2028 and 2031. It is then looking to secure more than 1 gigawatt of capacity at the site by an unspecified date.

Brookfield estimates that total investment, including semiconductors, could exceed £20 billion ($26.8 billion), with an initial £2.5 billion investment as part of phase 1.

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Artificial Intelligence