The Stockport streets which could hold the key to Greater Manchester’s future
Hidden behind the rows of terraced houses in Reddish, Stockport, work is taking place which could change the future of Greater Manchester.
A site off Kenwood Road in the borough was chosen for the location of a new £350 million data centre, which was granted planning permission in March by Stockport council and now with work already under way and due to be finished by 2026.
The 25,900 sqm complex from Kao Data will be a physical storage base for all the functions of modern technology – helping us to do everything from using a mobile phone or laptop, to developing the future of artificial intelligence (AI).
It is set to be the biggest data centre in the North West of England and was chosen as the prime location to entice technology companies to a new city away from London.
Bosses behind the plans say it could open the door to other data centres wanting to come to the region, drawing the businesses of the future to Greater Manchester.
"We've been the fastest growing digital and tech hub in Europe in recent years, but if we want that to continue we need to see the emergence of facilities like this," said Mayor Andy Burnham.
"This is the first of its kind. There are other, smaller data centres in the city-region, but this is the first large scale, modern, zero carbon data centre in Greater Manchester.
"It will particularly support the development of our AI cluster, we've got the largest AI cluster in the country outside London, maybe the largest overall – six percent of UK AI is based here.
"We want to double in the years to come, so facilities like this and partnerships with Kao Data are going to be huge going forward. There's an opportunity right now for Greater Manchester to become the first big mover in this space in the North of England."
Spencer Lamb, chief commercial officer for Kao Data, said Stockport was an ideal place for the new data centre because it has "the people we need" to support the building work to completion.
He also said there is "frustration" with the mentality of data centres all being clustered around London over the last 15 years, which he says is "not sustainable."
"The UK data centre topology has historically been in the south east around London, because the demand for these facilities is so significant the data centres have sucked dry available power around London," he said.
"We need to distribute these data centres across the country, and for the resources and skill set around the North West and Greater Manchester, we've chosen the process of developing this site."
Mr Lamb added that there has already been interest from companies wanting to use the services at the centre, indicating that the pipeline is "very healthy" and hinting that the company is already thinking about the next data centre in the region.
For Stockport, the move fits with its plans for regeneration around the borough, which the council hopes will attract new companies and people who want to live and work there.
Council leader Mark Hunter said: "It's a fantastic boost for the borough, there's no doubt about that. This is cutting edge stuff and we've been impressed going round and listening to what Kao has had to say about the plans for the future.
"This is only the start, this is the first development of this type outside of London and the south east, and we can see it being a forerunner of even bigger and better things in the future
"It's a massive landmark statement, great for Stockport and great for Greater Manchester."
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