Jurisdiction Index / United Kingdom
United Kingdom
JCI composite · as of · methodology v0
United Kingdom scores 57/100 on the Compute Institute Jurisdiction Competitiveness Index (Tier 3, Contested), ranking #20 of 30 rated jurisdictions with a stable outlook, as of June 15, 2026 under methodology v0. Its strongest dimension is Stability & Execution Risk at 8.2/10; its weakest is Power Cost at 3.3/10. 22 of 22 sub-factors are scored on E1–E2 evidence (data confidence A).
Dimension breakdown
Seven dimensions, each 0–10, weighted per methodology v0. JCI = Σ(dimension × weight) × 10.
Power Availability & Deliverability
Power Cost
Speed to Build
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment
Fiscal & Incentives
Capital & Ecosystem Depth
Stability & Execution Risk
Sub-factor scores and sources
Every base-scored input below carries E1–E2 evidence: a justification, an evidence-level grade, and a link to the underlying source document.
Power Availability & Deliverability — 4.5/10 (weight 20%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grid headroom 40% of dimension | 4 /10 | Constrained transmission with connection dates historically offered into the 2030s; NESO connections reform (Gate 2) reorders but does not create capacity. as of | NESO connections reform www.neso.energy | |
| Time-to-power 35% of dimension | 4.5 /10 | Typical large-load connections still ~4-5 yrs; AI Growth Zone projects get priority via Connections Accelerator and reserved-capacity mechanisms in force. as of | DSIT — Delivering AI Growth Zones policy paper www.gov.uk | |
| Energy mix & expandability 15% of dimension | 5 /10 | Large offshore wind pipeline and Sizewell C under construction, but firm dispatchable additions are thin and Hinkley C is delayed to ~2030. as of | DESNZ energy infrastructure pipeline / EDF Hinkley Point C updates www.gov.uk | |
| Water availability 10% of dimension | 6 /10 | Southeast England is water-stressed with new-connection scrutiny (Thames Water), while northern AIGZ sites have ample supply. as of | Environment Agency water stress designations www.gov.uk |
Power Cost — 3.3/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial electricity price 60% of dimension | 2 /10 | UK industrial electricity prices are among the highest in the IEA (~GBP 180-260/MWh all-in for large users) — near the >$140/MWh zero anchor even with PPA structuring. as of | DESNZ international industrial energy prices www.gov.uk | |
| Price trajectory & exposure 25% of dimension | 4 /10 | Network charges rising with the transmission build-out; announced industrial price-relief schemes (British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme) are E2/E3 and only partially apply to DCs. as of | UK Industrial Strategy — energy price measures www.gov.uk | |
| Cost certainty / contractability 15% of dimension | 7.5 /10 | Deep GBP corporate PPA market with 10-15 yr tenors and mature credit infrastructure. as of | Ofgem market framework / NESO market data www.ofgem.gov.uk |
Speed to Build — 5.5/10 (weight 17.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permitting regime 40% of dimension | 5.5 /10 | Data centres designated Critical National Infrastructure and eligible for NSIP routing; AIGZ planning support in force; judicial-review culture still imposes tail risk. as of | DSIT — Delivering AI Growth Zones policy paper www.gov.uk | |
| Observed construction velocity 35% of dimension | 5.5 /10 | Slough/London builds deliver ~2.5-3 yr shells; first AIGZ campuses (Culham, Blyth) under construction but unproven at AI scale. as of | AI Growth Zone project disclosures (CNBC review of first-year progress) www.cnbc.com | |
| Labor & supply capacity 25% of dimension | 5.5 /10 | Constrained construction labor (post-Brexit workforce, competing megaprojects HS2/Hinkley) and reliance on imported electrical equipment. as of | ONS construction workforce statistics www.ons.gov.uk |
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment — 7.1/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-specific law in force 35% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | No AI statute; deliberate pro-innovation, regulator-led approach outside the EU AI Act — a vacuum, but a predictable and officially documented one (scores upper band per D4 note). as of | UK Government AI regulation white paper / DSIT policy www.gov.uk | |
| DC-specific regulation 35% of dimension | 7 /10 | DCs designated Critical National Infrastructure (2024) with supportive AIGZ regime in force; no moratoria or efficiency mandates beyond planning conditions. as of | UK Government — data centres CNI designation www.gov.uk | |
| Regulatory predictability 30% of dimension | 8 /10 | WGI Regulatory Quality/Rule of Law ~90th percentile; common-law stability. as of | World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators www.worldbank.org |
Fiscal & Incentives — 5/10 (weight 10%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enacted incentives 40% of dimension | 5 /10 | Permanent full expensing (E1) benefits DC capex; AIGZ benefits are mostly procedural (planning, grid priority) rather than fiscal abatements. as of | HMRC — full expensing capital allowances www.gov.uk | |
| Headline tax burden 40% of dimension | 4.5 /10 | 25% CIT plus business rates on plant-heavy facilities; full expensing of plant and machinery partially offsets for capex. as of | OECD Corporate Tax Statistics — United States www.oecd.org | |
| Incentive durability 20% of dimension | 6 /10 | Full expensing made permanent in statute; UK fiscal volatility (CT rate moved 19%→25% in 2023) is a documented reversal precedent. as of | Finance Act 2024 (full expensing permanence) www.legislation.gov.uk |
Capital & Ecosystem Depth — 6.4/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committed capital 40% of dimension | 7 /10 | ~$38.5B private commitments across five AIGZs with financed first tranches (Stargate UK/Nscale, QTS Blyth, Microsoft UK build E1/E2); later phases remain E3/E4. as of | DSIT — Delivering AI Growth Zones policy paper www.gov.uk | |
| Ecosystem 30% of dimension | 7.5 /10 | London/Slough is Europe's largest DC market with dense fiber and full hyperscaler presence; unrestricted GPU access. as of | EIA/ERCOT load data; TeleGeography fiber maps www.submarinecablemap.com | |
| Sovereign/anchor capital availability 30% of dimension | 4.5 /10 | National Wealth Fund and ~GBP 2B AI compute appropriations in force but modest relative to Gulf sovereign vehicles. as of | HM Treasury — National Wealth Fund www.gov.uk |
Stability & Execution Risk — 8.2/10 (weight 15%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political/policy continuity 40% of dimension | 7.5 /10 | Cross-party consensus on AI infrastructure (AIGZ policy survived the 2024 government change); WGI stability high. as of | World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators www.worldbank.org | |
| Currency, transfer & convertibility 35% of dimension | 9 /10 | GBP fully convertible, no capital controls, AA sovereign. as of | IMF AREAER — United States www.elibrary-areaer.imf.org | |
| Physical & geopolitical risk 25% of dimension | 8 /10 | No conflict exposure, low natural-hazard profile; energy import dependency is the residual physical risk. as of | ACLED / public risk data acleddata.com |
Signals
Recent ingested source documents linked to this jurisdiction via extracted claims or triage mentions, newest first.
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· EE Times · relevance 0.30
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· Data Center Dynamics · relevance 0.60
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· Bloomberg Technology · relevance 0.70
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· Google — The Keyword · relevance 0.20
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· thenextweb.com · relevance 0.20
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· Data Centre Review · relevance 0.95
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· Technology Magazine · relevance 0.10
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· NVIDIA Newsroom · relevance 0.30
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· Data Centre Review · relevance 0.95
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· Google News Business · relevance 0.35
Scores are reproducible from the frozen inputs snapshot recorded at computation time (2026-06-15T23:52:38+00:00). See the full methodology for rubrics, weights, and the evidence ladder.