Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey, holds up the traditional red ministerial box outside No 11 Downing Street before departing to the House of Commons to deliver the first budget under Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government, in London, Britain, October 28, 2026. REUTERS/Jack Taylor

UK's Healey offers grid access incentives for critical data centres

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LONDON, Oct 28 : Finance minister John Healey on Wednesday unveiled plans in his budget to support the development of data centres in Britain, linking the measure to the government's artificial intelligence and national security objectives.

Healey said the government would launch a new British Data Centre Covenant requiring operators to invest in local communities, create jobs and protect water supplies, in return for priority grid connections and, where necessary, permission to build on-site power generation.

"Built on sovereignty and security, I want to ensure that the British people can benefit from the huge potential upsides of AI," Healey told parliament.

He said the aim was to keep sensitive data used by public services and the armed forces in Britain as the use of artificial intelligence expands.

Healey also announced an AI Challenge Prize to encourage the use of AI in public services and funding to support workers adapting to technological change.

Source: Reuters

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