Executive report says expansion of data centres needed in NI as part of AI strategy

A consultation on the Executive’s public sector Artifical Intelligence Strategy is open

An Executive report has said that Northern Ireland could develop “green data centres” as more need to be built to sustain plans for increased use of AI in the public and private sector.

Northern Ireland currently has nine data centres with an Executive report on an Artificial Intelligence Strategy for NI saying there is a need for the creation of new ones in order to accommodate public sector AI projects and the datasets needed by businesses developing AI models.

The report highlights how despite it having double the population, the Republic of Ireland has more than 10 times the number of data centres with 135. It says that NI is in a postiion to develop “green data centres” that would be powered by renewable energy sources.

One of these “sustainable” data centres is being built at the Foyle Port Innovation Park in Derry by GreenScale and is due to be up and running in 2027. The site will have 100MW of power and says that it can ben expanded to 300MW with this being supported by renewable energy.

The company’s website says the data centre is based in a “critical digital gateway” as “Northern Ireland sits within a low‑latency triangle connecting the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe.”

The AI strategy report says that 20% of renewable energy that is produced in NI “goes to waste” and could be utilised for projects like data centres. The high costs associated with using cloud services have also been cited as a reason to create new data centres saying that “Sovereign, green, high-performance computing is therefore essential.”

The Executive has said it is looking to expand the use of AI throughout the public sector and says that it presents a number of opportunities while also noting the potential risks. It has said the full potential of AI will only be realised with the public’s trust due to the impact the sector has on people’s lives.

It says NI is currently in a position where it could become “major AI player on the global stage”. It says: “AI can transform our public services to the benefit of citizens; it can revolutionise how we work and study; it can drive economic growth and prosperity; and it can amplify human capability to create higher-quality jobs.The potential is extraordinary, and we have a duty to educate our citizens so that they understand that potential and can use these intelligent systems for their own benefit.

“Yet Artificial Intelligence carries risk, so our priority must also be to ensure that we have accountable human oversight operating with guardrails for ethical use and guidelines for best use. This is particularly important in the use of AI in public sector transformation where so many of the services that impact the lives of people every day are delivered. The potential of AI will never be realised without public trust.”

It continues: “If we adhere to our eight principles and work collaboratively to develop a plan that delivers on the recommended actions, Northern Ireland (NI) will be uniquely positioned to become a major AI player on the global stage. We have deep expertise across all sectors; we have a unique ecosystem based on connectivity and collaboration; and we have significant potential to be a leader in infrastructure: our natural resources could establish us as a pioneer in green data centre provision and, with that, a magnet for Foreign Direct Investment.”

A consultation on the AI Strategy is open until October 7, 2026.

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