TAKING A COUNTRY- WIDE FOCUS WILL HELP KICK-START LOCAL ECONOMIES , DRIVE BROADER DIGITAL SKILLS AND GIVE EVERY UK REGION A CHANCE TO COMPETE AND BE PART OF THE DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOUNDATIONS THE UK NEEDS . right infrastructure must be in place . However , the rejections in Sheffield show more thought must be given to design to ensure sites are appropriate , adhere to local requirements , and serve the local community .
E D I T O R ' S Q U E S T I O N
MATT SALTER , DATA CENTRE DIRECTOR , ONNEC
While not every project will be at the scale of East Havering , the data shows a willingness from local authorities to invest and support data centres , with many already aligned with the government ’ s strategy to ride the wave of AI to supercharge economic growth and productivity .
Data centres are critical for driving AI growth , and with the race for AI supremacy in full swing , the UK has recognised that to get ahead , the
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TAKING A COUNTRY- WIDE FOCUS WILL HELP KICK-START LOCAL ECONOMIES , DRIVE BROADER DIGITAL SKILLS AND GIVE EVERY UK REGION A CHANCE TO COMPETE AND BE PART OF THE DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOUNDATIONS THE UK NEEDS . right infrastructure must be in place . However , the rejections in Sheffield show more thought must be given to design to ensure sites are appropriate , adhere to local requirements , and serve the local community .
Data centres can become the new oil for regions and cities , but only if they are planned holistically – this means considering every aspect of the data centre , instead of focusing solely on factors such as power and cooling . For example , thinking about the importance of cabling in providing the bandwidth needed to get the most from data centre hardware .
Failing to take a holistic approach will result in sites that aren ’ t fit for purpose , don ’ t deliver on the UK ’ s needs , and degrade over time – poor planning could mean a new data centre can feel five years old after the first year of operation and in need of an expensive retrofit . The UK risks losing ground in the race for AI supremacy if data centres aren ’ t built to last .
Government support will only drive further investment and support for UK data centres . However , this investment must move beyond London – already the biggest data centre market in Europe – to ensure the whole country benefits , and to help overcome power and sustainability challenges facing the London market . Taking a country-wide focus will help kick-start local economies , drive broader digital skills and give every UK region a chance to compete and be part of the digital infrastructure foundations the UK needs to meet rising AI workloads and deliver economic growth .
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