The Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell, has backed bids to make Yorkshire and the Humber a national leader in AI growth. Mr Campbell has written to the Government to support bids from North Lincolnshire and York & North Yorkshire respectively as the areas look to become ‘AI Growth Zones’.
The Government is accepting bids for regions to become designated ‘AI Growth Zones’ which will unlock investment and accelerate infrastructure construction in the areas. Mr Campbell is backing the two bids as he believes the growth would be to the benefit of people in Hull and East Yorkshire.
North Lincolnshire Council’s bid would, they say, create over 11,000 jobs and support a further 4,000 jobs through supply chains. The AI Growth Zone would also bring £15 billion in private business investment and 1.5 gigawatts of AI processing capacity to Northern Lincolnshire, an area which already produces a fifth of the UK’s electricity. Grimsby Live has previously reported on a potential new data centre in North Lincolnshire.
Mr Campbell has also backed a bid from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority. The bid, which was confirmed by David Skaith, the Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, could unlock up to £85 billion of growth across Yorkshire and the Humber.
(Image: York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority)
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The bid is centered around the Drax Power Station, near Selby which is the country’s largest single source of renewable power. Mr Skaith has said the plans could “transform the economic future of Yorkshire and the Humber.”
Mr Campbell has said: “We’re already powering ahead in AI – with the University of Hull at the forefront. Joining up across our work and the wider region can only benefit our wider economy, including our powerhouse industries who are pioneering its use in manufacturing, research and development.”
“We can maximise these strengths through more partnership working across the private and public sector and wider region, to benefits local people here. That’s why I am actively supporting both bids.
“Government investment in AI would drive further investment, innovation and creation of high-skilled jobs, also supporting our goals of developing and retaining talent locally. We have the people, skills and drive to make Hull and East Yorkshire even more of a national leader in harnessing the power and opportunities from AI, nationally and internationally.”
There is already a strong record of research, education and professional training through the University. As well as establishing itself as the leading provider of AI education in the UK, the University of Hull’s DAIM facility (Centre of Excellence of Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling), which is located at the University’s main campus, has established a national reputation, educating the next generation of data scientists and artificial intelligence practitioners and conducting major research. The University offers a range of AI courses including MSc AI for Engineering and BSc (Hons)/MEng Robotics and AI.
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