Brookfield has announced a collaboration with Drax Group to create a large-scale AI data center at the Drax Power Station estate in North Yorkshire. This initiative comes as Europe seeks to bolster its AI capabilities amid rising energy and land costs.
The project aims for an initial capacity of up to 100 megawatts, expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2028, with plans to expand to an additional 500 megawatts by 2031 and ultimately exceed 1 gigawatt. The total investment for this venture could surpass £20 billion ($26.8 billion), with an initial phase requiring £2.5 billion.
Following the announcement, Drax's shares rose by 8.2% in early trading, reflecting investor optimism about the project's potential impact on the company's growth and the broader market for AI infrastructure