DataVita secures £300m debt facility to expand North Lanarkshire data center campus

UK data center operator DataVita has secured a £300 million ($406.1m) debt facility to expand its footprint in Scotland, underpinning the build-out of two data centers within the North Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone. The funding will support the expansion of the company's existing DV1 facility and the construction of a new building, DV3, with the capacity of both sites fully contracted to AI cloud provider CoreWeave under a 15-year lease agreement.

The financing package includes a £202m ($273m) financial guarantee from the UK's National Wealth Fund, which covers 80 percent of a £252.5m ($341m) lending tranche provided by ING, ABN AMRO, and Santander. The remaining portion, delivered by the Scottish National Investment Bank and Siemens Financial Services through Siemens Bank, is uncovered. The deal reflects a growing trend of government-backed guarantees being used to de-risk large-scale digital infrastructure investments that might otherwise struggle to attract private capital.

Danny Quinn, managing director at DataVita, emphasized the project's momentum: "There is plenty of talk about AI infrastructure just now. This project is being delivered: work is well advanced on site, every megawatt is contracted, and the first facility completes this year. The UK needs its own AI capability, built here and run here, and we are grateful to the National Wealth Fund and our lenders for backing a project that is already delivering it."

Oliver Holbourn, CEO of the National Wealth Fund, highlighted the strategic importance of the guarantee: "New compute capacity is key to unlocking the UK's future, yet private finance can be difficult to secure for emerging infrastructure at this scale. The National Wealth Fund's guarantee is helping address that gap, giving lenders the confidence to invest. By laying the foundation for the wider Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone, we are helping support innovation and local economic opportunity, while delivering critical compute capacity for the UK's sovereign AI ambitions."

North Lanarkshire was designated as an AI Growth Zone earlier this year, a government initiative designed to accelerate data center development through financial incentives and prioritized access to power. The program is part of a broader UK strategy to build sovereign AI capability, with Scotland positioned as a key hub. UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan underscored the wider implications: "AI is already helping scientists discover new medicines, supporting better public services and helping businesses get more done. The countries that build the infrastructure behind this technology will be the ones that attract investment, create jobs and help shape the industries of the future. That's why today's announcements matter. They will help ensure Scotland is at the forefront of one of the biggest economic opportunities of our time, bringing investment, reindustrialization and opportunities to communities like Lanarkshire."

DataVita has a long history at the North Lanarkshire site. The DV1 facility was originally built in 2021 by HFD Group, with DataVita operating the building since 2016 and serving as its first occupier. The company acquired full ownership in a 2021 deal backed by £45m ($63.1m) of support from its parent owner. In January 2025, DataVita filed plans to expand the existing Fortis building with a new external plant building, and in November of the same year applied for permission to construct DV3. The company also operates a second facility in Glasgow, DV2, located in the basement of 177 Bothwell Street, offering 130 racks across 1,000 sqm (10,765 sq ft).

The announcement follows CoreWeave's decision last year to deploy an unspecified number of Nvidia GPUs in DataVita's data centers, cementing the partnership between the two companies. With construction already well advanced on site and the first facility scheduled for completion this year, the project represents a concrete step toward meeting the UK's growing demand for AI-ready compute infrastructure, while creating local employment and skills development opportunities in the Lanarkshire region.