Britain's Largest AI Supercomputer Faces Power Supply Problems: Originally Slated for Next Year, May Slip to the Mid-2030s
Summary
The large data center project in Lawford, Essex, heavily promoted by the UK government, will not come online as originally planned in 2027: UK Power Networks, which handles the grid connection, has told builder Nscale that the grid cannot supply enough power until the early-to-mid 2030s. Announced in 2025 as Britain's largest AI supercomputer, the project will still proceed according to Nscale, which is now studying on-site power generation. Ofgem has warned of a backlog in grid connection applications: as of June this year, 315 data centers were queued for connection to the UK grid with combined demand of 73GW, versus a national peak demand of just 45GW.
Bubble analysis
This shows AI data center buildouts are being held up by physical constraints like power: a project due online in 2027 may slip to the mid-2030s, meaning huge compute spending may not convert into revenue on schedule. It carries no investment figures itself, so it is only indirect evidence, but delayed construction and delayed returns are a commonly cited risk in the bubble debate.
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