A new AI industrial park planned for Irvine, North Ayrshire could attract up to £15 billion in investment and create a large number of skilled jobs, according to developer AI Pathfinder — a subsidiary of London-based firm Salamanca Group, led by entrepreneur Martin Bellamy.
The project is being hailed by North Ayrshire Council as a “transformational” opportunity that could place the region at the forefront of Scotland’s AI and data infrastructure revolution.
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Building a European AI Hub
AI Pathfinder, which also recently announced a £1 billion project in Northamptonshire, plans to invest an initial £385 million in Irvine’s i3 industrial park beginning next year.
The company aims to turn the site into one of Europe’s largest AI infrastructure hubs, hosting data centres and facilities that other tech companies can use — much like a “cloud for AI innovation.”
The long-term goal: up to £15 billion in total investment, creating jobs across construction, digital infrastructure, engineering, and data operations.
Council member Tony Gurney said the investment will “place North Ayrshire at the vanguard of the AI revolution,” boosting employment and developing a local skills pipeline to benefit businesses across Scotland.
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Part of a Wider AI Investment Wave
This announcement follows a week of major AI-related deals coinciding with U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, which has seen roughly £150 billion in AI-linked projects announced nationwide.
While analysts urge some caution about the scale of these figures, they note the surge of interest signals that global tech firms see the UK as a key AI hub.
The UK Department for Business and Trade highlighted complementary developments:
- CoreWeave and DataVita are collaborating on one of Europe’s largest AI data centres in Airdrie.
- BlackRock is expanding its Edinburgh office, increasing its UK workforce to nearly 1,900 employees.
- Amentum, a U.S. engineering firm, announced a £150 million investment and 3,000 new UK jobs, with Glasgow set to benefit.
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Why Scotland — and Why Now
Experts say the UK’s combination of technical expertise, political stability, and light regulatory environment makes it an appealing location for AI infrastructure. Scotland, in particular, offers cooler climates that reduce energy use for massive data centres — and proximity to offshore wind farms that can provide renewable power.
As demand for AI computing grows, so does the need for energy-hungry data centres. This has fueled calls to link such facilities directly to renewable sources, such as wind, instead of relying on traditional grid connections.
However, factors like latency and data speed still influence where these centres are built — meaning that sites near London remain attractive for industries requiring millisecond response times, such as high-frequency financial trading.
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Outlook
Even if the Irvine project’s investment turns out smaller than the ambitious £15 billion headline, it marks a significant step for Scotland’s tech economy. If realised, the park could cement Ayrshire’s place as a strategic hub for AI infrastructure, linking Scotland’s renewable energy resources with the next generation of global computing power.
