Can CoreWeave Launch its Scottish Data Centre on Time?

When the UK Government unveiled plans for an £8.2bn (US$11bn) AI data centre campus in Lanarkshire earlier this year, it was presented as a flagship project that would strengthen Britain's AI ambitions while showcasing Scotland's renewable energy potential.

Now, an investigation by The Guardian has cast serious doubt on whether the development, led by US cloud computing specialist CoreWeave and Scottish operator DataVita, will be able to meet its scheduled completion date of 2030.

The report argues that while debate around large-scale AI data centres has largely focused on access to clean electricity and grid connections, a more fundamental obstacle is emerging further up the supply chain: the shortage of critical electrical equipment needed to connect new demand.

The Lanarkshire development is set to become one of the UK's largest AI infrastructure projects, with plans for up to 1GW of power capacity. 

For context, that is broadly equivalent to the output of a conventional nuclear reactor, which speaks to AI’s enormous appetite for energy.

Supply chain constraints move centre stage

Although electricity network capacity has become one of the defining challenges for data centre development across Europe, industry experts argue that securing a grid connection is only part of the equation.

Transformers, switchgears and high-voltage cables are all required before additional power can reach new facilities, and these components are not easy to source.

According to Montel's 2025 curtailment report, Scottish wind farms were paid around £343m (US$459m) to reduce generation during 2025 because the grid could not absorb all available renewable power.

At the same time, developers that are hoping to connect new facilities are facing long waits for essential equipment.

Energy research firm Wood Mackenzie estimates that average transformer lead times have stretched to 128 weeks, with some orders extending beyond four years, while prices have risen by 77% since 2019.

Shilpika Gautam, the Founder and CEO of energy infrastructure company Opna, says this bottleneck is becoming one of the defining risks facing Scottish data centre developments.

“The massive investment in grid upgrades to support Scotland's data centres is being hindered by a shortage of critical power equipment,” she explains.

“Network operators, who buy in bulk and have long-term agreements with manufacturers, get priority for these supplies. 

“As a result, when a data centre orders equipment, it's pushed to the back of a four-year waitlist. Grid expansion and data centre development compete for the same resources, while only network operators have reliable access to manufacturers.

“Connecting to the grid is the bottleneck, but procuring critical power equipment is the bottleneck of the bottleneck; few are addressing it.”

Competing for the same equipment

The challenge is particularly acute in Scotland because electricity network operators are all undertaking unprecedented investment programmes.

SP Energy Networks, for instance, began a £12bn (US$16bn) programme to reinforce central and southern Scotland's transmission network in April, including 12 major substations supported by a supply chain framework worth up to £5.4bn (US$7.2bn) over the next decade.

Meanwhile, SSEN Transmission is planning to invest at least £22bn (US$29bn) across northern Scotland by 2031 and last month launched an additional £7.4bn (US$9.9bn) procurement framework.

Collectively, more than £30bn (US$40bn) of investment in the grids is drawing upon the same global manufacturing capacity needed by private developers building data centres.

According to Shilpika, this gives network operators a significant commercial advantage.

“The tens of billions of pounds of grid upgrades meant to unblock Scotland's data centres are being bought from the same transformer and switchgear order books those data centres need,” she explains. 

“Network operators are bulk buyers with multi-year framework agreements; manufacturers allocate scarce production slots to them first. 

“A single data centre project arriving with a one-off order goes to the back of a four-year book. 

“Grid expansion and data centre growth are now competing for the same equipment, and only one side of that competition has a standing seat at the manufacturers' table.”

The questions – and answers – for Scotland’s AI ambitions

The Guardian’s investigation also questioned whether the Lanarkshire project can deliver the scale of renewable generation previously outlined for the site, reporting that internal government correspondence acknowledged concerns over power provision despite public commitments around delivery.

The government told The Guardian that the site would connect to the electricity grid and that its energy needs would still be met overwhelmingly through renewable sources.

Whatever the eventual outcome for the CoreWeave and DataVita development, the debate has widened beyond generation capacity alone.

Speaking on a panel at Data Centre LIVE in May, Scottish data centre professional Lonnie Salmon, who is Senior Director at Jabil, discussed exactly the kinds of issues this project appears to be up against.

“The UK can generate more electricity than it ever needs,” said Lonnie. “The problem is not generating the power. The problem is getting it from point A to point B.”

For Lonnie, whose expertise lies in supply chains, the solution lies in managing procurement and supplier relations more effectively.

“Within this new environment of AI, the need for orchestration across the whole environment becomes paramount,” he said.

“It’s not price, and it’s not efficiency,” he added. “It’s a collaboration across our whole supply network, end-to-end, which is paramount in this game.”

Jamie Allen, who is Head of Site Selection at Iron Mountain, spoke on the same panel and agreed with Lonnie. 

“We definitely have enough generation,” Jamie said. “I don't think anyone would say there's an issue with the amounts of electrons that are in the UK. It's just so strenuous to build that route down to where we actually need that power.”

For CoreWeave and DataVita, the hope will be to overcome those supply-side constraints as soon as possible.