DataVita’s £25M loan supports construction at its Glasgow AI data centre

DataVita has secured a £25 million ($34 million) loan from OakNorth to expand its flagship data centre near Glasgow and add new AI-ready capacity for US AI cloud provider CoreWeave.

The funding supported the initial phase of the expansion, allowing construction to continue while DataVita’s parent company, HFD Group, completed longer-term financing for the wider development.

Oaknorth Kept the Project Moving

DataVita, founded in 2014 and part of HFD Group, operates two data centres — DV1 and DV2 — across Scotland’s Central Belt and provides colocation, cloud and connectivity services to public and private sector customers.

OakNorth said its £25 million ($34 million) loan enabled new AI-ready capacity at DataVita’s flagship site to support CoreWeave.

“The expansion of our flagship data centre marks a significant milestone for DataVita and reinforces Scotland’s position as an emerging destination for AI and cloud infrastructure,” said William Hill, Chief Executive Officer of HFD Group.

He added that OakNorth’s support allowed the company to keep progress moving while its long-term financing was being finalised.

CoreWeave Provided the Demand

The presence of a named customer gives the expansion a clear commercial basis.

OakNorth said the new AI-ready capacity at DataVita’s flagship facility is being developed to support CoreWeave, linking the investment directly to demand from an AI infrastructure provider.

That places the project on a different footing from capacity built around hoped-for future demand.

OakNorth said the expanded facility would significantly increase DataVita’s AI-ready capacity, although it did not specify how much additional capacity the loan would deliver.

Scotland Continues to Attract AI Infrastructure Investment

The financing also reflects how operators are looking beyond the UK’s established data centre hubs.

“The UK’s data centre market is entering an exciting new phase of growth, with investment increasingly expanding beyond traditional hubs as operators seek the power, land and renewable energy needed to support next-generation AI infrastructure,” said Fraser McPhail, Senior Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth.

He identified Scotland’s digital connectivity, renewable energy, and investment environment as factors that could support further development.

The Glasgow project sits within that wider pattern, where power availability and access to suitable sites are shaping where new AI infrastructure can be delivered.

The North Lanarkshire Rollout Provides the Backdrop

The OakNorth loan follows DataVita’s earlier £300 million ($405 million) AI infrastructure rollout in North Lanarkshire.

That programme is backed by a £202 million ($273 million) National Wealth Fund guarantee and a lender group including ING, ABN AMRO, Santander, the Scottish National Investment Bank, and Siemens Financial Services.

The development sits within the North Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone, with CoreWeave contracted as the customer under a 15-year agreement.

“There is plenty of talk about AI infrastructure just now,” said Danny Quinn, Managing Director at DataVita at the time. “This project is being delivered: work is well advanced on site, every megawatt is contracted, and the first facility completes this year.”

He stressed that “The UK needs its own AI capability, built here and run here.”

That earlier rollout provides context for the OakNorth loan, but the financing in Glasgow stands on its own as a separate piece of the buildout.

Funding and Demand Remained Aligned

At DataVita’s flagship site, OakNorth’s £25 million ($34 million) loan kept construction moving while HFD Group completed its longer-term financing package. CoreWeave provides the demand source for the new capacity.

Together with the North Lanarkshire programme, the Glasgow expansion shows DataVita building out AI infrastructure through a sequence of financed, customer-backed projects in Scotland.

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