Police Scotland Warns of Security Risks as Opposition Grows Over AI Datacentre

LONDON — A proposed artificial intelligence datacentre in Scotland has become the centre of a growing technology and environmental dispute, with Police Scotland warning of potential protests and disruption surrounding the development.

The proposed facility in Larbert, west of Edinburgh, has attracted hundreds of protesters and almost 7,000 formal objections, according to reporting on the controversy.

The dispute reflects a growing challenge facing Britain's rapidly expanding AI industry: how to build the computing infrastructure needed for advanced AI without creating major environmental and community concerns.

Critics have raised concerns about the site's potential environmental impact, including emissions from diesel generators and the wider energy requirements associated with large-scale datacentres.

The proposed development has also attracted attention because of its location near a hospital and care home, increasing concerns among some local residents about the consequences of a major technology facility in the area.

The controversy highlights the enormous physical infrastructure required to power the UK's AI ambitions.

Scotland has become an increasingly important destination for datacentre investment, but the rapid expansion has generated debate over electricity demand, land use, environmental protection and the benefits such developments deliver to local communities.

At least 23 hyperscale datacentre projects are reportedly in the pipeline across Scotland, potentially creating substantial additional demand for electricity.

The developer, Apatura, has said it intends to meet safety and environmental requirements while engaging with the local community.

For the UK's technology sector, the Larbert dispute could become an important test of how communities respond to the physical infrastructure behind the AI boom.

Britain wants to become a major AI power—but the debate in Scotland shows that building the infrastructure to achieve that ambition may face increasingly strong local resistance.