- BlackRock launches joint venture with Digital Gravity Partners to acquire, modernise and expand UK data centres.
- Investment is timed with President Donald Trump’s state visit and reflects growing demand for AI infrastructure.
What happened: BlackRock invests $679 million in UK data centres
BlackRock announces a plan to invest $679 million in UK data centres, in partnership with Digital Gravity Partners. The venture will acquire existing facilities, upgrade infrastructure, and expand capacity. Data Centre Magazine says BlackRock, which manages over $12.5 trillion in assets, is also opening a new Edinburgh office expected to employ around 1,300 people.
The timing of the announcement coincides with President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK. The project is part of a broader set of investment pledges expected during the visit, underlining transatlantic economic cooperation. Executives from Nvidia and OpenAI are also joining the delegation. The initiative aims to modernise data infrastructure to address demand driven by cloud services and artificial intelligence.
Also read: xAI and Nvidia join $30B AI fund with Microsoft and BlackRock
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Why it is important
The investment highlights how data centres are becoming critical parts of national infrastructure. With AI, machine learning, streaming and cloud computing all expanding rapidly, the need for upgraded, efficient facilities is pressing. BlackRock’s move could relieve capacity constraints, particularly where power and cooling are major bottlenecks.
From an economic standpoint, the deal reflects UK policy to reinforce competitiveness in technology infrastructure. The government has prioritised digital investment through the Office for Investment. For BlackRock, the joint venture model enables quicker expansion by retrofitting existing sites rather than building new ones, avoiding regulatory and grid delays. Success will depend on whether modernisation delivers reliably and whether energy supply and regulation can match the pace of demand. Reuters outlines the scale and timing of the investment.
