Data Centre Magazine July, Issue 48 | Page 54

» Building this foundation of physical systems is the reality the UK needs to address. Not because the digital infrastructure opportunity is out of reach, but because the conditions to realise it need to be strengthened quickly. From my perspective in the data centre sector, the fundamentals are encouraging. The UK has the engineering capability, industrial base and technical expertise required to support the next wave of digital infrastructure. We know how to design, build and deliver. What needs to improve is the environment in which that delivery happens.

» AI is already driving one of the fastest infrastructure expansions in modern history. The computing intensity of AI workloads has transformed what is required from data centres, with significantly higher power densities and far greater demands on electrical and cooling systems. This is a structural shift, not an incremental one, and it places energy and infrastructure at the centre of the AI conversation. That is where the UK faces its biggest challenge, but also its biggest opportunity. If we are serious about supporting AI at scale, we need dependable power that can be accessed in commercially viable timeframes.