Kao Data has secured planning permission to develop a new, 40MW, data centre in Kenwood Point, Greater Manchester.

Described as a significant investment for Stockport and granted unanimous approval by members of Stockport Council following a planning and consultation process, the news marks another step forward in the continued expansion of Kao Data’s industrial-scale data centre platform, and the further emergence of the UK's 'next-tier' data centre hub outside of London.

Kao Data's new Greater Manchester facility represents an inward investment of £350 million into the region and has the potential to boost Stockport’s local economy by £155m during its construction period, according to a recent report from Nicol Economics.

Central to the approval was Kao Data's detailed public consultation process, in which it worked with JLL and Cavendish Consulting to engage key members of the local business, residential and public sector communities to ensure the data centre will play a vital role within the region’s digital economy.

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Further, its tangible commitments to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers were also recognised as a pivotal part of decision-making – reinforcing Kao Data's ethos for environmental social and governance (ESG), and its plans to engage with schools, colleges, and universities to support Mayor Andy Burnham's vision for a Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc) by helping support technical career pathways for local students.

The 40,000m2 former industrial site, which will become operational in 2026 following its sustainable redevelopment, will create a leading infrastructure hub to support Greater Manchester’s fast-growing and diverse technology ecosystem - positioning the region as one of the UK’s largest high performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) clusters outside of London and the Oxford-Cambridge arc, and as a focal point in the Government’s technological and economic ambitions.

Furthermore, Kao Data's BREEAM-certified and NVIDIA DGX-Ready data centre platform will create one of the UK’s most sustainable and energy efficient homes for intensive GPU-powered computing applications, providing an SLA-backed PUE as low as <1.2, being powered by 100% renewable energy, and utilising hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in its backup power generators.