Key facts
- Xlinks plans to build a large AI data centre campus with battery storage near Great Torrington, Devon.
- The project is valued at £3.6bn and could generate significant economic benefits and jobs.
- Data centres already account for 2.5% of UK electricity consumption, with demand expected to rise sharply due to AI.
- Local residents have expressed concerns regarding noise, light pollution, water, and electricity usage.
- The move to rural Devon reflects a broader trend of data centre developers seeking land and grid capacity outside major hubs.
Energy developer Xlinks has announced plans for a £3.6bn AI data centre campus in north Devon, a move that highlights the growing demand for such infrastructure driven by artificial intelligence. The proposed campus, located near Great Torrington, aims to create between 650 and 1,200 jobs and would occupy over a third of an 850-acre site.
This development comes as AI adoption accelerates, leading to an unprecedented surge in demand for data centres across Britain. These facilities were designated as critical national infrastructure in 2024, and developers are increasingly looking to rural areas like Devon due to grid constraints and long connection queues in traditional hubs such as London and the South East. Data centres currently account for approximately 2.5% of the UK's electricity consumption, a figure expected to rise significantly.
Local residents have voiced concerns about the project's scale and potential environmental impact, citing issues such as noise, light pollution, water consumption, and electricity demand. These concerns mirror global debates surrounding the resource intensity of large-scale AI infrastructure.
Xlinks cited Devon's access to renewable energy, cooler temperatures, and spare capacity at the Alverdiscott substation as advantages for the campus. The company stated the facility would provide the essential processing power for AI models that underpin daily digital life.
Experts note that developers are prioritizing locations with existing electricity infrastructure, but congestion in areas like west London is pushing them to seek alternatives. The significant investment in AI infrastructure is also creating shortages of key components and impacting broader technology and consumer markets, with costs potentially being passed on to consumers.