The UK is set with the construction of a new £1.9bn data centre campus in Didcot, Oxfordshire for CloudHQ.
View WhitepaperData Centres are the Backbone of technology and are relied on daily. From streaming your favourite series to enabling artificial intelligence (AI) applications, data centres are the backbone of modern society. And now, the UK is set with the construction of a new £1.9bn data centre campus in Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Data centres house vast amounts of computer, telecommunications, and electronic storage systems that keep essential services up and running 24/7. These facilities allow us to remotely store and process massive amounts of data, from cloud storage to complex AI-driven applications.
But given the rise in data-hungry technologies like AI, machine learning, and high-quality video streaming, the demand for data infrastructure is only growing. Recognising this, CloudHQ, a Washington DC-based firm, has secured planning permission to develop a major data centre campus in Didcot, on the site of the former Didcot power station.
UK Government’s Technology Secretary Peter Kyle highlighted the importance of foreign investment in such infrastructure, stating that it will “spur economic growth and AI innovation.” The project will help to create 1,500 jobs, and once complete, 100 permanent roles will be based at the facility, showing the direct economic benefits that data centres bring.
The UK government has acknowledged the critical importance of data centres in powering industries of the future. In fact, just recently, the UK classified data centres as “critical national infrastructure.” This designation provides additional security and reassures investors that the country is committed to supporting the industry for years to come.
CloudHQ’s new site in Didcot will help alleviate the strain on the UK’s existing data infrastructure, which is being pushed to its limits by the rise of AI technologies and data-heavy applications.
Data centres are essential to modern life and offer numerous benefits that make them crucial for businesses, governments, and individuals.
Here’s why data centres are so valuable:
Data centres house the servers and networking equipment that store, process, and distribute data, ensuring that online services, apps, and websites function smoothly. Without data centres, services like cloud computing, e-commerce, and social media would not be possible.
Data centres provide the computing power necessary for advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and big data analytics. These technologies require significant processing and storage capacity, which data centres deliver, enabling innovation in healthcare, finance, research, and other critical industries.
As remote work and digital collaboration tools become more prominent, data centres ensure that employees, regardless of their location, have access to the data and systems they need. Data centres enable seamless global communication, allowing businesses to operate and collaborate across borders.
Data centres contribute significantly to local and national economies by creating jobs both during construction and after. Building a data centre requires skilled labour, from engineers to construction workers, resulting in thousands of jobs. Once the facility is operational, it offers permanent positions in IT, maintenance, security, and facility management. Additionally, data centres stimulate indirect job growth by supporting local suppliers and service providers, contributing to economic development in the surrounding areas.
