As the UK looks to develop tech zones outside of London, a new initiative to transform seaside town Blackpool into a “high-performance data centre campus” has been unveiled.
Named Silicon Sands, the plan has been revealed to potential data centre developers and investors as a carbon-friendly proposition combining internet connectivity, renewable power supplies and available land in its offerings.
Seaside silicon
Investments into Blackpool as a new tech zone could lead to more startups in the area across video games, AI, telehealth and advanced manufacturing. On the gaming side, mobile studios may form a part of this too.
An advantage of such an initiative in Blackpool specifically is the town’s low-latency connectivity to the rest of Lancashire through its Celtix-Connect2 internet cable, which also connects to New York, Dublin and northern Europe. There are also considerations underway to connect Silicon Sands to a district heat network and to provide at least 50MVA of renewable energy via an agreement with Electricity North West.
Across the 40-acre zone, Silicon Sands’ data centres could be up to 50% more energy efficient through use of liquid immersion cooling technologies.
New opportunities
“Silicon Sands has the potential to be a complete game-changer in our plans to make Blackpool better. With the power supply, land availability and ultra-fast internet access, we can sit at the heart of a new digital revolution not just for the town, but for the entire region,” said Blackpool Council cabinet member for Levelling Up (Place) Mark Smith:
“For Blackpool, this could mean significant inward investment and thousands of well-paid new jobs across the Fylde Coast, which in turn will retain the talent of our young people in Blackpool rather than losing them to other parts of the country, as well allowing high performance businesses of the future to grow fast on the Fylde Coast.
“For the data centre industry, Silicon Sands offers the chance to reduce its impact on the environment and on the National Grid and show a modern climate friendly future that can major regeneration benefits.”
UK trade association TIGA proposed that initiatives enabling more startups to scale would provide a key growth opportunity for video games in 2024, following the industry’s £7.82 billion valuation in the UK last year. Mobile is already on the rise, up 4.5%, ahead of any further potential increases through new business in Blackpool.
