Green Mountain executives share how their UK division is strategically positioning itself for immense growth in London ’ s transformative data centre market
GREEN MOUNTAIN
Green Mountain executives share how their UK division is strategically positioning itself for immense growth in London ’ s transformative data centre market
The UK data centre market is currently facing unprecedented pressures on its infrastructure . Power constraints in traditional data centre locations , combined with increasing demand for land , are inevitably creating challenges for operators seeking to expand their footprint amid growing demand .
These pressures are only intensified by the demands of AI and highperformance computing ( HPC ), which can require anywhere between 25 to 120 kilowatts ( kW ), or more , of power per rack compared to 5-10kW for traditional compute .
Such a dynamic market is driving strategic shifts in where data centre operators choose to locate their facilities . Within this context , Green Mountain , a data centre operator providing colocation services , is expanding its London footprint with a 30-megawatt ( MW ) campus development in Romford , East London .
The company is aiming to deliver its first 14MW phase in 2025 , targeting AI / HPC capabilities , whilst also maintaining its focus on sustainability through renewable energy use and efficient design .
Seizing the opportunity of the London data centre market Historically , UK data centres have been concentrated in two main areas : The City of London , due to its proximity to financial markets , and West London , which benefits from already-established power infrastructure and deployment of fibre . However , power constraints and capacity limits have forced operators to consider alternative locations . Several operators have migrated to East London where power availability and land resources remain accessible .
“ With financial institutions demanding and consuming ever growing amounts of connectivity , the fibre infrastructure in and around the City of London and Docklands began to mature in the latter part of the twentieth century ,” explains Simon Blackburn , Managing Director of Green Mountain UK . “ The early ‘ carrier hotels ’ played a crucial role in this growth , creating a connectivity eco-system . Data centres were being built close to where they could be easily and well connected .
“ Fast forward another 10 to 15 years , a similar transformation took place in Slough , where new data centre hubs grew . Today , London remains one of the key business centres in the world with an insatiable demand for data .
16 February 2025