From vision to viability: delivering on data centre demand

As demand for data centres rapidly accelerates, the industry is running up against a more complex reality: change is faster, bigger, and more interconnected than ever before. In this article, John Rawlinson explores why tackling these shifts in isolation will hold the industry back - and how an integrated approach can turn today’s bold strategies into long-term success stories.

The government’s newly clarified industrial strategy sets out the scale of the UK’s digital infrastructure ambitions, with a new Compute Roadmap spanning AI, cloud and high-performance computing. The recognition of data centres as mission-critical national infrastructure within this brings new urgency and opportunity: we’re in a decisive chapter for the UK’s data centre ambitions, yet construction is running headlong into real-world constraints. 

What makes this moment different is not just the constraints themselves - which are common to many industries - but the sheer pace, scale, and interconnectedness of change behind them. Globally, capacity is expected to grow by 20–30% per year over the next decade, driven by AI workloads, cloud adoption, and data-intensive services. That explosion in demand is spurring a race to build. In parallel, we have technology, demand, location, planning regimes, and climate risks evolving at speed, reshaping what makes projects viable at ever shorter timescales.

This creates a resounding challenge for landowners, developers, investors, and policymakers. How can you mitigate considerable capital risk and chart an optimal path to delivering facilities? The answer lies in definition of requirements and integration – clear, joined up decision making enables stronger, collaborative outcomes. 

But integration doesn’t happen by itself: it requires a ‘whole system’ approach supported by diverse capabilities and, delivery expertise to make it real. Nowhere is the need for integration clearer than in three critical areas: power, planning, and resilience. Together, these will determine whether the UK’s data centre ambitions become enduring success stories.

Where does the power lie?

Without a viable power strategy, there is no plan. Grid connection capacity - how much you can get, when, where from, and at what cost - has become a defining factor in whether a site can proceed. In the UK alone, annual power demand from data centres is projected to reach 6.5–7.5 GWh by 2030 - equivalent to around 10% of current total national demand. In London alone, an estimated 400 GW of grid connection requests are awaiting approval. 

Meeting this challenge demands an integrated, forward-looking power strategy - combining early negotiation with network operators, on-site microgrids, storage and backup generation, and alignment with regional renewable projects. Connections and sustainability combine with significant cost considerations: power accounts for circa 60% of lifetime operating expenditure, making limited or costly supply a critical constraint.

Each option brings trade-offs: diesel backup raises noise, air-quality, and emission concerns; intermittent renewables require battery storage; siting near new capacity or adopting a power island approach, may mean planning or resilience compromises. On the horizon, innovations such as small modular nuclear reactors alongside data centres signal just how radically the energy–digital relationship could evolve.

There is no ‘silver bullet’ solution: each project will have an optimal plan across some or all of its lifecycle. What matters is the ability to build flexibility into design and decision-making to stay ahead as conditions evolve by taking an end-to-end approach, ensuring exemplar project delivery along with peak operational efficiency. The right expertise will make the difference between a viable project and a stranded one and will ultimately be determined through a whole life approach.

Squeezing through the planning bottleneck

Even with power in hand, navigating planning remains a major hurdle. The UK’s shifting policy landscape - shaped by AI growth zones, Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) thresholds, and local development priorities - was already complex; it’s now even more so as a result of the appetite to develop.

The consequences of missteps are serious. Land acquisition and planning go hand in hand: consent can unlock significant value uplift and uncertainty, or refusal can leave significant capital tied up and schemes stranded. Missteps in site selection or design risk triggering costly delays, reapplications, or even undermining the viability of an otherwise strong project.

That’s why early, informed engagement is critical. Developers who integrate planning considerations into site choice and design from day one will be far better placed to avoid objections, align with national priorities, and meet local expectations. With the right guidance, the planning process can join the dots - building relationships with authorities, shaping proposals to highlight community benefits, and ensuring project choices support power and resilience strategies, not conflict with them. 

Resilient by design

A data centre that meets today’s operational needs but fails under tomorrow’s conditions is not truly fit for purpose. From rising ambient temperatures and extreme weather events to shifting cyber and market risks, resilience is a key business consideration, not a compliance add-on. 

The UK’s record 2022 heatwave offered a warning: A large data centre in London suffered a cooling system failure, while two hospital data centres went offline, causing appointment delays, operational disruption, and an estimated £1.4 m cost. Reputational damage, financial loss, and reduced investor confidence follow quickly when resilience isn’t embedded from the outset.

We need to ensure that resilience is a central driver rather than an afterthought: that means designing systems that adapt to fluctuating demand, diversifying backup power strategies, safeguarding assets from climate and security threats, and planning for rapid recovery when disruption occurs. Just as with power and planning, resilience cannot be treated in isolation: decisions on site, energy, and consenting all shape long-term reliability. Embedding resilience early keeps facilities operational today, flexible for tomorrow and the future technological advances, and credible in the eyes of investors and clients alike.

The case for integration

These three areas aren’t the whole picture. Cooling technologies and chip innovation are moving just as fast. But the lesson is the same: none of these can be solved in silos. Power decisions influence site selection and planning pathways. Planning choices shape opportunities for resilience and power needs. Resilience thinking feeds back into both energy and consenting strategies.

Data centre ambitions will not be realised through piecemeal fixes or siloed approaches. Success will demand joined-up thinking, robust partnerships, and a clear focus on the interdependencies that define viability. The question is whether the industry can respond with the speed, collaboration, and integration needed. We believe it can. Yet for this industry to exploit that opportunity, keep up with the blistering speed of change, and build data centres at scale, that shift needs to start today.