Overview

• DSIT has convened industry, universities and skills providers, with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and Mayor Kim McGuinness leading efforts to ready sites at Cambois and Cobalt Park.
• Immediate priorities focus on unblocking planning, securing further investment and connecting power, with officials stating that construction is expected to begin within weeks.
• The designation unlocks up to £30 billion of investment for the region, including Blackstone’s confirmed £10 billion commitment for the Cambois development.
• Nscale, OpenAI and NVIDIA are launching the Stargate UK infrastructure plan, with up to 8,000 NVIDIA GPUs scheduled for deployment early next year and potential scaling to 31,000, including capacity at Cobalt Park.
• The programme is framed around creating thousands of local jobs and apprenticeships across construction, energy and AI roles, with regional universities supporting training and early-career routes.