The Scottish Parliament has backed a pause on planning decisions for hyperscale artificial intelligence data centres for up to a year while national rules are developed. Lawmakers passed a motion on Wednesday stating no planning or consenting decisions should be made on hyperscale data centre applications until the Scottish government publishes national guidance, due within 12 months.
The move follows a surge in proposed data centres linked to the global AI boom. More than 20 large facilities have been proposed, including a project in Fife, eastern Scotland, described as potentially the second largest in the world.