Microsoft Walks Away From Britain's Biggest AI Bet — Because the Grid Can't Keep Up

Nvidia AI chips for data centers

Microsoft has walked away from the project meant to be Britain's biggest AI data centre — not because of money or demand, but because the electricity grid simply cannot power it until the 2030s.

The US tech giant ended its anchor-tenant agreement with Nscale, the Nvidia-backed AI cloud provider, for a flagship site in Loughton, Essex, hailed by ministers as the UK's largest "sovereign" AI data centre. The £2 billion facility was supposed to house 23,040 Nvidia GB300 AI chips — about 50 megawatts of computing power — to help run Microsoft's Azure services in Britain, with up to 250 permanent jobs promised. The project was announced with fanfare during President Trump's state visit in September 2025.

But UK Power Networks told Nscale it could not guarantee enough electricity for the site until the early-to-mid 2030s, and grid connection queues are delaying data centre projects by as long as 13 years. Nscale called it "this unfortunate London-wide grid issue," insists the Loughton project is not dead, and says it is exploring alternative power sources. Both companies stress their broader partnership — including Nscale's US and Norway sites — is unaffected. The setback is a blow to Britain's AI ambitions, and a warning sign for the global AI boom: the chips are ready, but the power is not.

Source: CNA / Reuters

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