Context
The global situation
AI infrastructure will drive economic growth and help maintain global competitiveness.
The UK lacks sovereign compute infrastructure on which to conduct research critical to the UK and its economy, while Europe, the US and China are seeing large-scale investments in skills, resources and infrastructure.
The UK Government has recognised the pivotal role of AI infrastructure in driving economic growth and maintaining global competitiveness. The AI Opportunities Action Plan, published in early 2025, sets out a strategy to position the UK as a global leader in AI.
Yet, the UK’s relevance is declining as other countries ramp-up investment in key technologies, infrastructure, skills, people and innovation clusters, drawing top researchers elsewhere.
The UK’s National AI Strategy (2021) articulates the Government’s ambitious “ten-year plan to make Britain a global AI superpower”, declaring the potential of AI to “rewrite the rules of entire industries, drive substantial economic growth and transform all areas of life”.
However, this ambition is accompanied by a stark warning that “the UK’s infrastructure is lagging behind other major economies around the world”, leading to a stated aim to “invest and plan for the long-term needs of the AI ecosystem”.
A subsequent Review of Digital Research Infrastructure Requirements for AI2 (2022), conducted by the Alan Turing Institute, on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), assesses the challenges that the UK faces in achieving this plan.
The CEO of Nvidia, Jensen Huang, described the UK as “the largest AI ecosystem in the world without its own infrastructure”
However, the UK is already beginning to lag in top performing supercomputing infrastructure. Notably, the UK hosts only two of the top 500 worldwide systems, with many of the world’s most powerful AI models owned by US big tech companies. The lack of high-performance compute (HPC) power available in the UK, is limiting researchers’ ability to conduct leading data-driven research.
In particular, the lack of accelerated processing power which is critical to AI and HPC-enabled research, is inhibiting the ability of AI researchers to integrate data analytics, AI, and simulation for advanced 3D modelling as well as to train powerful AI models.
This is directly impacting upon universities, with the academic relevance of leading universities in the UK declining, particularly in AI/Machine Learning and HPC.
Three key findings conclude that to become a global superpower in AI, the UK will need to:
Continuously invest in digital research infrastructure.
Increase access to compute capacity facilitating scientific advances enabled by AI.
Expand training and support in AI to maximise uptake.
What is compute?
‘Compute’ or ‘advanced compute’ refers to computer systems where processing power, memory, data storage and network are assembled at scale to tackle computational tasks beyond the capabilities of everyday computers.
The Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor
Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley, the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor is a key focus of the national drive for economic growth. The Growth Corridor, formerly known as the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, was initially launched in 2003.
It is already a vibrant and innovative hub for globally renowned science and technology firms and internationally successful start-ups, that contribute to and benefit from the rich ecosystem of talent and ambition in the region.
It is anchored by two of the world’s best universities, producing world-class research and generating hundreds of commercially successful spin-outs.
Deepening the links between Oxford and Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Bedford and beyond with significant investment into East West Rail will ultimately connect a region of 3.5 million people – highly skilled, highly employable, and highly mobile. A strategic location with international airports and high-speed rail links connecting to the rest of the UK, Europe and beyond, the Growth Corridor’s links to London to form the “Golden Triangle”, increasing access to the best UK talent, innovation and academic collaboration.
This unique combination of academic excellence and commercial translation makes this the destination of choice for innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors, offering internationally recognised assets, capabilities, and pioneering minds.
Home to Bletchley Park, the birthplace of modern computing, the Corridor continues to add to its legacy as an innovator with a unique blend of talent, infrastructure, and investment.
Businesses in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor are at the forefront of the life sciences and technology sectors. Companies born from the area’s world-class research, such as Bicycle Therapeutics, Oxford Nanopore, and CMR Surgical, are choosing to stay and scale locally, drawn by the strength of the area’s innovation ecosystem.
In the last 10 years, greenfield investments in the Corridor have created more than 43,000 jobs with a total capex value of £27.5 billion, and on average, 30% of all jobs in the corridor are in Knowledge Intensive Sectors, almost triple the average for Britain as a whole.
The Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor is a globally significant innovation corridorfor science and technology, anchored by two of the world’s best universities.
Improved transport links and other infrastructure are being developed to support economic growth.
The UK Government has appointed Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, as the Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion.
Lord Vallance’s role is to coordinate work across all levels of Government, as well as in the private sector and academia, to promote and maximise the region’s world-leading strengths. He said:
“The Government is putting billions behind the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor through East West Rail, the Culham AI Growth Zone, and our record-breaking backing for UK R&D. The Corridor presents an enormous opportunity for anyone looking to invest in the UK. By bringing business, academia, plus national and local government together, we can pool this remarkable area’s strengths to create one of the most important innovation zones in the world.”
The site in context
The EXOq site lies either side of the A4260 Frieze Way, south of Stratfield Brake, between the Oxford Canal and the A34.
It is just north of the Oxford City Council boundary, within the area served by Cherwell District Council.
In support of the Government’s push to make Britain a global AI superpower, the National Planning Policy Framework requires that “significant weight should be placed on the need to support economic growth and productivity” noting that “this is particularly important where Britain can be a global leader in driving innovation, and in areas with high levels of productivity, which should be able to capitalise on their performance and potential”.
Alongside this strong in principle support for innovation, national planning policy also specifically requires that local planning policies and decisions make provision for “clusters or networks of knowledge and data-driven, creative or high technology industries; and for new, expanded or upgraded facilities and infrastructure that are needed to support the growth of these industries”.
As the local planning authority, Cherwell District Council is required to implement these national planning policy requirements, either through the local plan process or through the determination of planning applications.
At present the Council is engaged in preparing a new local plan for the district and has submitted it to the Secretary of State for ‘examination’.
The 'submission plan' acknowledges the contribution that the Oxfordshire Knowledge Spine makes to the Cherwell economy, and the importance of supporting the growth of this cluster over coming years.
The submission plan thereby makes provision for new development to come forward on unallocated sites to meet employment and economic needs.
EXOq supports the UK Government’s drive to make Britain a global AI superpower.
The EXOq proposals will help support economic growth and productivity.
The site lies within Cherwell District, in a location which is undergoing significant change.
The planning context
The EXOq site covers 30 hectares and almost half is parkland for the community.
The EXOq site has unparalleled access being adjacent to Oxford Parkway Station on the east
side and the canalside for active travel on the west side.
An assessment of alternative sites indicates this is the optimum location.
The land is currently part of the Oxford Green Belt, but in an area that has seen significant change in recent years, with more proposed.
The EXOq masterplan has been designed to limit any harm to the Green Belt, carefully setting the proposed buildings into the topography and screening them with extensive landscaping.
A detailed assessment of the Green Belt will be prepared in consultation with the Council, forming part of a future planning application.
A robust assessment of potential alternative sites has already been undertaken, indicating that this is the optimum site for a specialist innovation district.
The site covers 30 hectares, of which almost half – 14 hectares – would be for high-quality parkland for the local community. It would also see:
Innovation services such as incubator spaces, accelerator spaces and support services.
A diverse range of commercial research and development (R&D) units, to accommodate a broad range of businesses.
Academic floorspace including R&D labs as well as conference spaces.
Ancillary services and facilities including cafés, restaurants and a hotel.
Land to the West of Oxford Road – Formerly North Oxford Golf Club
The site known as “Land to the West of Oxford Road”, the North Oxford Golf Club, has been allocated for housing under Cherwell District Council’s Local Plan policy PR6b. The Local Plan identified the EXOq site for the "potential construction of a golf course, should this be required as a result of the development of Land to the West of Oxford Road under Policy PR6b”.
Evidence submitted to the Local Plan highlighted that the popularity of golf is declining nationally, and there is insufficient demand locally to justify the EXOq site as a replacement course. This evidence is being updated with the latest statistics and will be submitted as part of the EXOq planning application.
In this context, it is important to note that North Oxford Golf Club has decided to close altogether rather than seeking to relocate.
