To the east of London, rising out of the tidal flats of the Thames Estuary, sits Wat Tyler Country Park, a green space named after the leader of the 14th century Peasants’ Revolt, who was reputedly born nearby. In 1381 Tyler headed an armed rebellion against taxation and feudal rule that ultimately marched on London to confront King Richard II. The uprising largely failed, and Tyler was killed.
The area left its agrarian past behind long ago, but the county of Essex has continued to drive disruptive change. It voted solidly to leave the European Union in 2016 and is a bastion of support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Now, while the UK government talks of an “AI revolution” and plans a series of “growth hubs,” southern Essex is already seeing an AI infrastructure boom — one with the potential to transform not only technology and industry but Britain’s political and economic landscape.
Ten minutes’ drive north of the park, a £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) AI data center is to be built near the town of Basildon. Google is proposing a “hyperscale” development to the west in Thurrock, and Microsoft Corp. is working with Nvidia Inc. to build a supercomputer in the Loughton area.
This area has adequate power, water, and old brownfield sites to build on, and is emerging as a hotspot for the UK’s AI shift. Officials expect a raft of construction and high-skilled jobs, plus significant direct investment — estimated at £1 billion around Basildon alone.
But if these parts of Essex are likely to drive the positive side of the coming change, there is more concern over the impact of AI in white-collar areas. When the revolution comes, analysts argue that it’s coming for middle-class Britain.
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*Alan Crawford for Bloomberg News*
To the east of London, rising out of the tidal flats of the Thames Estuary, sits Wat Tyler Country Park, a green space named after the leader of the 14th century Peasants’ Revolt, who was reputedly born nearby. In 1381 Tyler headed an armed rebellion against taxation and feudal rule that ultimately marched on London to confront King Richard II. The uprising largely failed, and Tyler was killed.
The area left its agrarian past behind long ago, but the county of Essex has continued to drive disruptive change. It voted solidly to leave the European Union in 2016 and is a bastion of support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. Now, while the UK government talks of an “AI revolution” and plans a series of “growth hubs,” southern Essex is already seeing an AI infrastructure boom — one with the potential to transform not only technology and industry but Britain’s political and economic landscape.
Ten minutes’ drive north of the park, a £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) AI data center is to be built near the town of Basildon. Google is proposing a “hyperscale” development to the west in Thurrock, and Microsoft Corp. is working with Nvidia Inc. to build a supercomputer in the Loughton area.
This area has adequate power, water, and old brownfield sites to build on, and is emerging as a hotspot for the UK’s AI shift. Officials expect a raft of construction and high-skilled jobs, plus significant direct investment — estimated at £1 billion around Basildon alone.
But if these parts of Essex are likely to drive the positive side of the coming change, there is more concern over the impact of AI in white-collar areas. When the revolution comes, analysts argue that it’s coming for middle-class Britain.
[Read the full story here.](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-19/ai-data-center-infrastructure-projects-risk-uk-political-upheaval?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2NjIyNjkwOCwiZXhwIjoxNzY2ODMxNzA4LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUN0k4UzhLR0NUR0EwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJEMzU0MUJFQjhBQUY0QkUwQkFBOUQzNkI3QjlCRjI4OCJ9.DYGeJr6IgMCMTwWKH-j0Z8HqH1c9YOtFK2xd2mMRCKc)