The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and data analytics is driving unprecedented demand for supporting infrastructure. While businesses once operated their own server rooms, this is increasingly outsourced to hyperscale providers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, who operate vast data centres consuming enormous amounts of electricity.
Energy costs dominate the operational budgets of these centres, with electricity and cooling accounting for the overwhelming majority of expenditure. UK data centres currently represent about 2.5% of the country’s electricity demand, but according to NESO, this is projected to rise four-fold by 2030.
This sharp growth raises serious questions about whether the UK’s electricity system can keep pace, both in terms of current capacity and the grid investments required for the future.
