FOR months, The National has been leading the way in coverage of Scotland's emerging AI data centres. Our reporting has focused on the environmental impact of these structures, how communities are fighting back against the proposals, and what political and cultural leaders plan to do about them.
Our subscribers have been asking us to investigate further, so that's what we are doing. From Monday to Wednesday, our team will be publishing a special series investigating these data centres. Who are they for, who's behind them, and what happens now?
Led by Multimedia Reporter Jamie Calder, the team of journalists including Hamish Morrison, Abbi Garton-Crosbie, James Walker and Steph Brawn have produced a comprehensive series of articles seeking to answer those questions in detail. Expect on-the-ground coverage from areas affected by new developments like Larbert and Ravenscraig, deep-dives into how the Scottish Government is responding, the role of lobbying and donations, and fact-checks on how data centres really affect our environment and climate.
You can also look forward to:
- A live Q&A with a data centre developer answering your burning questions, at 11am on YouTube on Monday. Submit your questions in advance here
- A live Q&A with Jamie Calder, whose reporting on AI data centres has led nationally, at 3pm on YouTube on Monday
- A special podcast interview with Kat Jones, director of environmental charity APRS and campaigner working against data centres, on YouTube and available on audio streaming platforms
- Shareable video explainers for social media on what it all means for you and your community
Jamie Calder said: "The National has been leading the news coverage of AI data centres in Scotland, but this has been first opportunity to put such a focus on them as part of a special investigation.
"I've been reporting on this all year, and I've seen and heard for myself how concerned Scottish communities are. People feel ignored by policy makers – meanwhile AI is increasingly integrated into our daily lives without our say.
"We hope this series goes some way to making people feel heard, and raising awareness of the issues they want to see addressed."
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