BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, is preparing to announce a £500m investment in UK data centres as part of President Donald Trump’s state visit next week.
The deal, a joint venture with Digital Gravity Partners, will see the company buy and upgrade existing sites to expand capacity. It comes at a time when the race to build and modernise data infrastructure is intensifying, driven by the boom in artificial intelligence and cloud services.
Big Business Ties on Show
The announcement is expected to be one of several corporate deals rolled out during Trump’s visit, which Downing Street hopes will underline Britain’s appeal to international investors despite weak growth figures at home.
Officials are lining up a package of investment pledges across technology, energy, financial services and nuclear power, with sources suggesting the total could rival the £63bn headline figure claimed at last year’s International Investment Summit.
For BlackRock, which manages more than $12.5 trillion in assets, the UK is already a major hub. The firm is also due to open a new Edinburgh office employing 1,300 people.
Who’s Coming to London
BlackRock’s chief executive Larry Fink will join Trump’s business delegation, alongside Jensen Huang of Nvidia and Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI.
The presence of some of the world’s most powerful tech and finance leaders is expected to give weight to the UK’s pitch as a leading destination for capital. Bloomberg reported this week that US tech companies plan a multibillion-pound investment in Britain as part of the $500bn Stargate data centre project.
The AI Power Squeeze
The surge in AI adoption has triggered a scramble for data centres worldwide. Industry analysts say the billions being poured into digital infrastructure represent one of the most significant economic shifts of the decade. But the growth also raises questions about energy supply, with data centres consuming vast amounts of electricity at a time when national grids are already under strain.
Political Context
The investment will be announced against a sensitive backdrop. Trump’s tariff regime continues to worry UK manufacturers, particularly in steel, while drug pricing remains a source of tension with major pharmaceutical firms.
At home, ministers are keen to point to large foreign deals as evidence that Britain is still an attractive place to invest. The Office for Investment, recently given an expanded role in Whitehall, has been heavily involved in coordinating next week’s announcements.
A state banquet at Windsor Castle, hosted by King Charles III, will cap the visit, which comes just days after the dramatic sacking of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador.
Bottom Line
BlackRock’s £500m move into UK data centres is set to be one of the headline deals of Trump’s visit — a sign of how critical digital infrastructure has become, and a timely boost for a government eager to show Britain is still open for business.
