Countries / British Overseas Territories
Gibraltar
Gibraltar's government backs a privately funded 250MW AI data centre campus announced in 2025, still at an early stage in the sources found.
Pelagos Data Centres announced a GBP 1.8 billion, 250MW campus on a 20,000 square metre site near the port, in five phases to 2033, with the Gibraltar government publicly supportive. It is described as powered independently of the territory's grid, using renewables and liquefied natural gas, with net-zero operation targeted for 2030. Announced timelines (construction from 2026, first phase late 2027) have not been confirmed by anything we found, and an opposition leader has criticised transparency and the LNG reliance. Gibraltar has no standalone AI law; the EU AI Act can reach Gibraltar businesses with EU links. Gibraltar is not a Crown Dependency.
AI policy and activity
A law firm article says Gibraltar has not introduced a standalone AI regime and relies on existing data protection law (Gibraltar GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2004). No dedicated AI regulator was identified.
Power and grid
The developer says the site would be powered independently of Gibraltar's grid, so local grid capacity should not be the constraint; the LNG supply and renewables arrangements were not detailed in sources read.
Connectivity
Not researched beyond the developer's reported Morocco to Europe cable plan.
Data centres and compute
| Site | Where | Status | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelagos Gibraltar data centre campus Pelagos Data Centres | Near the Port of Gibraltar | Proposed | 250MW, GBP 1.8 billion, five phases to 2033, Tier III, target PUE about 1.2, off-grid with renewables plus LNG, 100% private funding (Data Centre News UK, September 2025). The chairman is also reported to be planning a subsea cable linking Morocco and Europe. All figures are the developer's announcements. (source) |
Rules and programmes
| Instrument | Kind | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government backing for the Pelagos data centre | Planning | Proposed | Reported September 2025 with the Chief Minister's support. A technical briefing was promised for early 2026; we did not find the outcome, a planning decision or an update, so status is announced, not approved. |
| AI regulation position in Gibraltar | Law | In force | ISOLAS LLP commentary: no standalone AI legislation; existing data protection law applies; EU AI Act has extraterritorial reach over Gibraltar-based businesses placing AI on the EU market. A law firm's view, not an official source. |
Checked on 2 October 2026 and due for review by 1 January 2027. Many sources are trade press or law-firm summaries rather than official texts, and statuses such as reported or unconfirmed are shown as the source gives them. This is a summary, not legal advice. If something is wrong or out of date, tell us.