Asia Tech Wire (Sep 26) -- U.S. private equity firm Blackstone has confirmed a 10 billion pound ($13.3 billion) investment to build an artificial intelligence data center in the northeast of England.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled this investment plan by Blackstone in New York on Wednesday.

Starmer said the AI data center, which will begin construction next year, is due to create 4,000 jobs, 1,200 of which will be specifically for the construction of the center.

The center, which will sit in Blyth, Northumberland, will be the largest AI data center in Europe.

According to Reuters, BlackRock President and COO Jon Gray confirmed the investment and its economic impact.

BlackRock will also contribute £110 million to a local fund in Blyth aimed at boosting skills training and improving transportation infrastructure, Starmer said.