Argyll will harness Scotland’s strength in renewables to power the UK’s next generation of AI innovation.
Argyll Data Development (“Argyll”) today announced a strategic partnership with SambaNova, a next-gen AI infrastructure leader, to deliver the UK’s first renewable-powered AI inference cloud. The deployment will anchor the Killellan AI Growth Zone, a 184-acre green digital campus on Scotland’s Cowal Peninsula, creating a blueprint for how nations can combine AI sovereignty, energy independence and sustainability.
Harnessing wind, wave and solar energy generated on-site, Argyll will deploy SambaNova’s air-cooled SN40L systems, a platform engineered for maximum efficiency and minimum power consumption. Each rack draws roughly one-tenth the power of traditional GPU systems, eliminating the need for liquid cooling while maintaining enterprise-grade performance.
“Together with SambaNova and our strategic partners, we’re building a sovereign AI infrastructure powered by renewable energy, demonstrating that sustainability and scale can go hand in hand. Our goal isn’t just to make AI greener, but to make it competitive, compliant and cost-effective,” said Peter Griffiths, Executive Chairman at Argyll. “This project gives UK enterprises the ability to innovate responsibly, securely and within our own borders, in full alignment with national AI ambitions.”
“Argyll is a blueprint for scaling AI responsibly. By pairing renewable power with high-performance, energy-efficient computing, it shows what sustainable AI infrastructure can achieve,” said Rodrigo Liang, CEO and Co-Founder of SambaNova. “With SambaNova’s chips-to-model platform, we’re enabling large-model inference with maximum performance per watt, while helping enterprises and governments maintain full control over their data and energy footprint.”
The first phase of the Killellan site will provide 100 to 600 megawatts of capacity, scaling to over 2 gigawatts at full build-out. A private-wire renewable network and vanadium-flow battery storage will enable “island-mode” operation, with future grid integration planned.
Established in 2023 and built on deep expertise in renewable infrastructure, Argyll is developing the Killellan AI Growth Zone as a model for sovereign-scale AI compute that keeps sensitive workloads within UK borders while driving regional economic growth. The project is projected to enable £15 billion in total investment, create more than 2,000 construction jobs annually and 1,200 permanent positions, and contribute £734 million in annual GVA to the Scottish economy.*
Waste heat from the data-centre campus will support vertical farming, aquaculture and local district heating, demonstrating a closed-loop, circular design. Beyond powering AI innovation, Argyll’s renewable infrastructure will underpin socially beneficial applications in healthcare, agriculture and education, reinforcing the UK’s commitment to responsible AI for public good.