Wales will become home to new AI Growth Zone, UK Government
The zone is expected to attract billions of pounds in investment and create thousands of high-skilled jobs.
Peter Kyle, UK secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, said: "From the coalmines of the Valleys to Swansea's mantra of 'Copperopolis', Welsh trailblazers were the beating heart of the industrial revolution.
"AI is this generation's next great industrial leap, so who better to help drive that change than a nation which has always been a by-word for innovation.
"These Growth Zones will revitalize communities in the here and now – unlocking fresh investment and new opportunities for those that have been left out in the cold for too long."
AI Growth Zones are designed to accelerate the development of critical infrastructure such as data centres.
These centres will support breakthroughs in areas like healthcare, climate science, and other sectors by enabling the processing of vast amounts of data.
The plan is part of a broader government strategy to increase the UK's computing capacity twenty-fold—ensuring the infrastructure is in place to train and deploy advanced AI models.
Jo Stevens, secretary of state for Wales, said: "Wales is already home to a thriving and growing tech industry and this investment in at least one AI Growth Zone for Wales is a vote of confidence in the Welsh economy and testament to the skills and potential of our workforce.
"This is another significant step forward in our central mission to kickstart economic growth, create well-paid jobs and unlock opportunity in the industries of the future."
The zones are expected to attract significant private investment, particularly in areas with strong power connections and potential for clean energy use.
Wales has already set a target to meet 100 per cent of its electricity needs from renewable sources within the next decade.
Work is already underway to establish Wales as a leader in AI, with US-based Vantage Data Centers planning to build one of Europe's largest data centre campuses in the country.
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