Brookfield, an asset manager, has signed an agreement with energy company Drax Group and Brookfield's neocloud platform Radiant to jointly develop a massive artificial intelligence data center at the Drax Power Station estate in North Yorkshire, England [1]. The project represents a significant infrastructure investment as Europe works to develop AI capabilities amid high energy and land costs [1]. Brookfield estimates that total investment for the project, including semiconductors, could exceed £20 billion ($26.8 billion), with an initial £2.5 billion investment planned for phase 1 [1].
The development will be rolled out in phases, with the project initially targeting up to 100 megawatts of capacity to be operational from the first quarter of 2028, followed by an additional 500 megawatts of capacity between 2028 and 2031 [1]. The long-term goal is to secure more than 1 gigawatt of capacity at the site by an unspecified date [1]. The market responded positively to the announcement, with London-listed shares of Drax Group rising 8.2% in early morning trading following the Tuesday announcement [1], reflecting investor confidence in the partnership and the scale of the investment opportunity.
CONCLUSION
Brookfield's $27 billion AI data center project at Drax Power Station represents a major infrastructure commitment to support Europe's AI expansion, with phased capacity additions from 2028 onwards. The 8.2% surge in Drax shares indicates strong market approval of the partnership and the substantial investment opportunity, positioning the energy company as a key enabler of AI infrastructure development in the UK.