Reality Check
Best of the Spectator
Reality Check: Britain's AI problem isn't data centres – it's electricity
- Published
- August 17, 2026
- Duration
- 24:47
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Sep 13, 2026
Discusses artificial-intelligence, daily, society, culture.
Summary
Britain wants to become an AI superpower – but does it have the electricity to power one? Data centres underpin everything from online banking and streaming to artificial intelligence, and demand for them is exploding. The government has designated them as critical national infrastructure and is promising billions of pounds of investment, but Britain’s ag…
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Show notes
Britain wants to become an AI superpower – but does it have the electricity to power one? Data centres underpin everything from online banking and streaming to artificial intelligence, and demand for them is exploding. The government has designated them as critical national infrastructure and is promising billions of pounds of investment, but Britain’s ageing grid is already struggling to keep up.Michael Simmons asks whether the UK can build enough power stations, transmission lines and substati
Themes
- artificial-intelligence
- daily
- society
- culture