Qatar sovereign wealth fund and Brookfield back supersized UK data center
The buildout is the first investment from Qatar Investment Authority’s Qai and the alternative asset manager’s $20 billion AI infrastructure investment venture.
Qatar's sovereign wealth fund and Brookfield are teaming up to develop what could be the UK's largest data center, with a proposed capacity of 1 gigawatt at the Drax Power Station in northern England. This investment marks the first for Qatar Investment Authority's Qai, as well as Brookfield's $20 billion AI infrastructure investment venture, with a combined commitment of $3.4 billion over the next five years.
The project has an advantage in having an existing power connection, but still requires the necessary approvals to begin construction, including an anchor tenant and government approvals. According to Global SWF, the project follows a distinct strategy adopted by Gulf sovereign investors like Abu Dhabi's MGX, which is deploying external institutional capital, and Saudi Arabia's HUMAIN, which is combining AI operations with investments.
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