Britain is expected to create almost 38,000 jobs and attract £63 billion of investment following the International Investment Summit, which focused on infrastructure, technology and net zero initiatives.
This year’s record figure more than doubles the £29.5 billion committed at last year’s Global Investment Summit.
The government attributed the increase in investment to planning reforms, expansion of AI and data center infrastructure and increased funding for renewable energy projects.
One of the biggest announcements was Blackstone committing £10 billion to build one of Europe’s largest data centers in Blyth, Northumberland, creating 4,000 jobs. Meanwhile, Octopus Energy has committed £2 billion to build four new solar farms and a battery in Cheshire, supporting green energy generation for 80,000 homes.
Imperial College London unveiled a £150 million investment to develop a new research campus as part of its DeepTech ecosystem in West London. In addition, CCUS giants Eni, BP and Equinor have secured £8 billion of private investment to launch carbon capture projects, which could support 50,000 jobs in the long term.
CyrusOne, CloudHQ and CoreWeave announced significant investments in data centres, collectively amounting to billions, while SeAH Wind expanded its Teesside operations with £225 million in wind production, creating 750 jobs.
In the healthcare and life sciences sectors, Eli Lilly announced a £279 million partnership with the government to tackle obesity and launch an innovation accelerator for early-stage life sciences companies in Europe.
Holtec, a US-based nuclear engineering company, will invest £325 million in a factory in South Yorkshire to support the civil and defense sectors, creating 1,200 engineering jobs over 20 years.
Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds called the investment an “important vote of confidence in Britain”, highlighting the upcoming industrial strategy as a framework for sustainable growth. Chancellor Rachel Reeves echoed this optimism, saying the investments secured at the summit reflect confidence in the UK economy and will boost employment across all sectors.