The Caineal Wickford Data Center is a £1.3 billion high-performance artificial intelligence facility located on a 1.8-hectare site in Wickford, Essex, spearheaded by the London-based developer Caineal LLP. The project features a 27,000 m² multi-level structure designed by Arc:MC Architects, consisting of two floors of dedicated IT data halls and three floors of office space, supported by a specialized 4,500 m² on-site substation with underground high-voltage cabling to meet intense AI power demands.
To address environmental concerns, the facility will utilize an advanced closed-loop cooling system to recycle water and includes the creation of a 34.5-acre nature reserve extending the Nevendon Wetlands. The project is split into a £500 million construction phase and a £500 million+ hardware integration phase, with construction expected to begin in early 2026 and full operational status targeted for Summer 2028.
| Distance | Site | About |
|---|---|---|
| 0.95 miles | European Liquidity Center (EULC) |
ICE Data Services’ state-of-the-art Tier 4 data center in Basildon, Essex, serves as a premier hub for colocation and supporting services.
|
| 1.69 miles | ChunkyChips: Essex DC1 |
|
| 8.73 miles | Digital Reef: East Havering Campus |
Digital Reef aims to construct a massive $5.97 billion (£5.3 billion) data center campus on a 175-acre Green Belt site in London's Havering borough.
|
| 11.03 miles | Clearstone Energy: East London Campus |
Clearstone Energy is planning to develop the East London Data Centre Campus, a major facility planned on over 100 acres east of London in partnership with an established data center investor and operator.
|
| 11.66 miles | Tritax: Project Blackwater |
Tritax Big Box is planning to develop a new hyperscale data center campus in Essex, located approximately 35 miles northeast of London.
|
| 11.74 miles | Tritax: Blackwater BW2 |
This facility is part of Tritax's Blackwater project in Chelmsford, UK.
|
| 11.86 miles | Edge RidgeInterested in this information?Contact us |
Google has acquired a plot of land in Essex, UK, previously used as a racetrack and earmarked for residential developments.
|
| 12.69 miles | Fujitsu: London East (SDC01) |
The Fujitsu London East (SDC01) data center is a Tier III certified facility located in Grays, Essex.
|
| 14.23 miles | Clearstone Energy: Ebbsfleet Campus |
UK developer Clearstone Energy has proposed the Ebbsfleet AI Data Centre Campus on 145 acres near Dartford, Kent.
|
| 14.33 miles | Custodian Dartford DA2 | |
| 14.34 miles | Green Mountain: London East Bldg 2 |
Green Mountain is expanding its London data center footprint for its existing facilities in the capital.
|
| 14.41 miles | Green Mountain: London East |
The parent company of Norwegian-based Green Mountain has acquired Infinity SDC Ltd, taking over a data center in Romford, East London.
|
| 14.41 miles | Infinity Romford North and South |
|
| 14.47 miles | NTT London 1 (Dagenham) |
The NTT LON1 facility will be 24,000 sqm and 60MW critical IT load once fully developed.
|
| 16.11 miles | OVH London LON-1 |
The OVH site of the new London facility was previously owned by a telecoms operator and it is near two substations, providing the required high electrical capacity
|
| 16.26 miles | Stratus: Belvedere |
Stratus Data Centres plans to construct two Tier III data centers in Belvedere, South East London.
|
| 17.11 miles | Global RidgeInterested in this information?Contact us |
Epping Forest District Council has granted planning permission for Google’s new data center campus at North Weald Airfield, moving the project forward despite local objections.
|
| 19.15 miles | Nscale: Loughton, Essex |
Nscale, a prominent UK AI company, will invest $2.5 billion over the next three years to bolster the UK's data center infrastructure.
|
| 20.00 miles | Kao Data: KLON-07 |
This facility will be part of KAO Data's Harlow Campus, located in the London-Stansted-Cambridge technology corridor.
|
| 20.00 miles | Kao Data: KLON-08 |
This facility will be part of KAO Data's Harlow Campus, located in the London-Stansted-Cambridge technology corridor.
|
June 17, 2026 London
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has pledged "coordinated action" to address the challenges posed by rising data center demand across the capital, particularly growing pressure on power infrastructure. A report commissioned by the Greater London Authority and prepared by Buro Happold found that while...
Read more
April 15, 2024 London
Satellite firm Viasat last week officially launched its new office, at 50 Finsbury Square in London, as the combined offices of both Viasat and Inmarsat, the rival vendor it acquired last year. The new 121,000 square feet site includes new satellite, network, and cyber operations centers for the...
Read more
March 29, 2024 London
University College London (UCL) spinout Oriole Networks has raised £10 million ($12.6m) in a seed funding round co-led by UCL Technology Fund, Clean Growth Fund, XTX Ventures, and Dorilton Ventures, with support from Innovate UK Investor Partnership. “As the demand for compute continues to...
Read more
February 29, 2024 London
Property investor Segro has raised £900 million ($1.1 billion) in a share issue and intends to use this funds to develop its portfolio across the UK and Europe. The London-listed business had initially been hoping to raise £800 million ($1.01bn), but on Tuesday evening its directors said strong...
Read more
January 10, 2024 London
Investment firm Swiss Life Asset Managers this week entered an agreement with London-based InfraBridge, an infrastructure investment management division of DigitalBridge Group, to acquire a co-controlling equity stake in Telecom Infrastructure Partners (TIP). Gianfranco Saladino, head of...
Read more
Mar 12, 2026 Eric Bell World
Go to Podcast
Jan 15, 2026 Eric Bell Applied Digital
Go to Podcast
Jan 05, 2026 Eric Bell Dallas
Go to Podcast
Sep 04, 2025 Eric Bell Texas
Go to Podcast