THE AI DATA CENTRE POWER PLAY
As AI continues to boom, the need for resilient energy becomes more urgent. However, the pace of modernising energy infrastructure is not matching the speed of data centres scaling to meet demands.
“ To secure resilient power, data centre developers should consider phased power connections and dynamic load flexibility. These capabilities allow facilities to come online incrementally and shift AI tasks across locations to balance energy consumption,” explains Fiachra Ó Cléirigh, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Energy & Power at Jacobs.
“ Governments and utilities have a pivotal role to play in this effort through modernised planning, capital investment and deployment and support for resilient infrastructure.”
He argues that safeguarding the resilience of digital infrastructure requires“ foresight, investment and cross-industry coordination”.
“ As demand continues to climb, so too must our commitment to building smarter, more secure and more sustainable energy systems,” he says.
“ Reducing reliance on the central power grid is no longer just a green ambition – it’ s a business imperative. Grid failures are no longer rare events; they are a new operational reality. As infrastructure becomes more distributed, autonomous and AIaugmented, the next generation of data centres will not merely survive blackouts; they will self-heal through them.”
Preparation and prioritisation With DR and cybersecurity becoming increasingly interconnected, as threat actors become more sophisticated each year, the onus isn’ t just on the data centre to keep vital information safe.
“ Businesses need to ensure they have a strong DR framework that includes frequent backups and clearly defined recovery plans – all of which are crucial in the event of a cyberattack – but it is entirely their responsibility,” Stewart explains.“ DR planning acts as a last line of defence against operational disruption, ensuring that services can be restored swiftly and securely if primary systems are compromised.
“ This is particularly relevant in today’ s threat landscape, where the potential for ransomware, DDoS attacks and data breaches continues to grow.”
Making sure that data centre is ready for a large-scale grid outage is challenging. Particularly in places like the UK, a facility’ s primary power source will be the grid until legislation changes to accommodate alternative power sources like microgrids.
As Stewart says, scenario-based planning is critical.“ Operators should run simulations, stress-test their infrastructure and ensure that secondary and tertiary systems are ready to take over instantly,”
194 July 2025