UK's largest AI supercomputer will wait until the 2030s: the electricity grid cannot deliver 90 MW

UK Power Networks has warned Nscale that its Loughton site will not have its power until the beginning or middle of the next decade, compared to 2027 announced.

Announced in 2025 as the largest AI supercomputer in the country, the Loughton site in Essex will not see the light of day on the scheduled date. UK Power Networks, which is responsible for connecting it to the local grid, told Nscale that the necessary power would not be available until the early to mid-2030s — the launch was hoped for 2027. The connection difficulties were first reported in July 2026.

The need is 90 MW, the equivalent of the consumption of about 315,000 homes. Nscale, a British start-up that is aiming for an IPO of around $35 billion, says it remains committed to Loughton and is exploring two avenues: producing electricity on site, in particular via Bloom Energy's solid oxide fuel cells, or accelerating the connection. Neither of these has yet been accompanied by a replacement schedule. Doubts have already hung over the project since the revelation in March that the chosen land still housed a scaffolding depot in operation.

The case goes far beyond a company. Ofgem lists 315 data centres waiting to be connected to the national grid, for a cumulative demand of 73 GW – well above the 45 GW that represents the peak consumption of the whole of the United Kingdom. The limiting factor of the British AI infrastructure is neither capital nor chips, but cables that do not yet exist.