Plans for a 2m sq ft Hertfordshire data centre campus have been submitted, set to be one of the largest in Europe
Plans for a data centre campus in Hertsmere, Hertfordshire, have been submitted by DC01UK.
The data centre campus will cover 2m sq ft, and represent an investment of £3.75bn.
The government are backing data centres
The government have announced that UK data centres are to be given a boost both financially and in security, due to the ever-increasing critical nature of data.
Data centres are crucial for data in the countries most important systems, such as NHS, personal smartphone, and financial data.
Therefore, data centres that power the economy, such as the Hertfordshire data centre campus is set to be, are now being classed as critical national infrastructure.
The Hertfordshire data centre campus will be one of the biggest in Europe
As the world becomes more digital, industry leaders have predicted that demand for data centres will increase by 53%, especially with the rise of AI, cloud computing, storage, and services such as video streaming.
DC01UK’s Hertfordshire data centre campus can be operational by 2029, contributing a large portion to the rise in demand and offering jobs as well as cycle and bus routes in the area, located by the A1 and M25.
Technology secretary Peter Kyle MP said: “Data centres play an essential role in British society, housing some of our most important data from vital NHS records to sensitive financial information.
“This huge £3.75bn proposed investment is a vote of confidence in our plans to support the sector to thrive, ensuring everyone across society can feel the economic benefits of its growth.
“To achieve this, we must make the sector resilient to the challenges of today – from heatwaves to cyber attacks – which is why only today we have announced we will class data centres as ‘Critical National Infrastructure’, on par with energy supply systems.”
A spokesperson for DC01UK said: “The ambition for this project is to build the next generation of national digital infrastructure to power the needs of tomorrow.
“DC01UK is a unique and world-leading project. It will be the UK’s premier data centre, providing critical infrastructure for the UK’s future, generating approximately £3.75bn for the UK economy during the construction phase, and delivering huge economic benefits to the UK and brilliant opportunities for local people.
“This project would put Hertfordshire at the forefront of one of the most technologically exciting projects in Europe and lead the world in setting the gold-standard for the next generation of high-tech infrastructure.
“We also take our green commitments very seriously, with our environmental credentials exceeding industry standards, and innovating to find new and sustainable solutions which will benefit both the data centre as well as local people and businesses.
“We’re incredibly proud that our plans include significant regional benefits too – including £21m additional revenue in business rates, a brand-new Technology and Innovation Hub to provide training and apprenticeship opportunities for local people, significant improvements to local transport infrastructure, and 200 new, high-quality, permanent jobs at the site once completed.”
