A £350 million sustainable data centre is set to be created at Kenwood Point in Stockport.
The 40,000 m2 former industrial site – which will operate from late 2025 – will create a leading infrastructure hub to support Greater Manchester’s fast-growing and diverse technology ecosystem.
Kao Data – the specialist developer and operator of data centres engineered for AI and advanced computing – has been granted planning permission for what has been described as a “significant investment”.
Kao Data’s new facility represents an inward investment of £350M into the region and has the potential to boost Stockport’s local economy by £155m during its construction period, according to a recent report from Nicol Economics.
Central to the approval was Kao Data’s detailed public consultation process, in which it worked with JLL and Cavendish Consulting to engage key members of the local business, residential and public sector communities to ensure the data centre will play a vital role within the region’s digital economy.
Further, its tangible commitments to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers were also recognised as a pivotal part of decision-making – reinforcing Kao Data’s ethos for environmental social and governance (ESG), and its plans to engage with schools, colleges, and universities to support Mayor Andy Burnham’s vision for a Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) by helping support technical career pathways for local students.
Doug Loewe, CEO at Kao Data, said: “I’m delighted to see that planning for our new cutting-edge facility has been approved by Stockport Council, and to see the region claim its position as the UK’s foremost next-tier data centre hub outside of London.
“As the UK accelerates its ambitions to become a world leader in AI, and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) continues its mission to ensure the region is a world-class destination for business, our new data centre will play a pivotal part in its technological and economic future.”
David Bloom, founder and chairman of Kao Data, said: “Since inception, I have always believed that our organisation would play a vital role in serving the UK’s scientific, research and AI communities, and as we blaze a new trail into Greater Manchester, helping to pave a new path to the skyscrapers for local students’, I’m excited to see those plans become reality.”
Kao Data’s BREEAM-certified and NVIDIA DGX-Ready data centre platform will create one of the UK’s most sustainable and energy-efficient homes for intensive GPU-powered computing applications, providing an SLA-backed PUE as low as <1.2, being powered by 100% renewable energy, and utilising hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in its backup power generators.
