The north-east, once defined by shipyards and collieries, is being rebranded as a hub for artificial intelligence after the government named two sites as “AI growth zones.”
Blyth in Northumberland and Cobalt Park in North Tyneside will be fast-tracked for AI infrastructure projects, with ministers promising thousands of jobs and billions in potential investment.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the move would create “dedicated hotbeds” for computing power, research links and industrial partnerships.
At Cobalt Park, the plans include collaboration with OpenAI, Nvidia and British cloud company Nscale.
Nvidia processors will be deployed in North Tyneside as part of what officials call “new AI infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, Blyth’s growth zone designation builds on a £10 billion data centre already announced for the site. DSIT suggested the badge could unlock up to £20 billion more from private backers, though gave no timetable or details.
Teesworks in Redcar was notably absent, despite previous ministerial letters backing its bid.
The new zones will be linked with universities across the region to provide skills pipelines alongside hardware.