Perception
By Spencer Lamb, Chief Industrial Officer at Kao Information
Information centres are the foundations of our digital economic system and the spine of the AI revolution. The UK’s knowledge centre trade is closely concentrated in and round London, with greater than 85% of amenities in Slough and throughout West London – which collectively, symbolize the second largest knowledge centre hub on the earth.
The numerous reliance on areas round London as an information centre hub places all of the industries’ “eggs” in a single basket, which heightens vulnerability to electrical grid disruptions such because the one evidenced at Heathrow airport not too long ago. Having 85% of the nation’s knowledge centres unfold throughout a handful of postcodes additionally presents itself as an apparent nationwide safety threat, particularly given the Authorities designated knowledge centres as Essential Nationwide Infrastructure (CNI) in late 2024.
This method additionally exacerbates regional financial disparities, with funding remaining within the south east. Whereas London continues to develop as a world hub for knowledge storage and processing, different areas throughout the UK are left behind by way of technological development, funding and top quality job creation.
To deal with this imbalance, the UK should diversify its knowledge centre footprint by following the instance of European counterparts like France, Germany and Spain. These international locations have distributed their knowledge centre infrastructure throughout a number of cities, with France having massive knowledge centre hubs in Paris, Marseille and Lyon; Germany with knowledge centres in Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne and Munich and Spain with knowledge centres in Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona.
The UK authorities’s AI Alternatives Motion Plan, launched earlier this 12 months, supplies a framework for establishing AI Progress Zones (AIGZs). These zones may streamline planning processes inside sure areas and speed up the event of renewable power to supply sustainable power sources to assist energy the info centres.
Larger Manchester—and the North West as a complete—is well-suited to be designated as an AIGZ, providing an alternative choice to London for a variety of causes. These areas supply good energy connections, world class connectivity, previously industrial brownfield land prepared for growth, and a talented expertise pool. Additionally they have a well-established and rising tech and AI economic system and a robust expertise pathway from main universities.
The info centre trade has already contributed £4.5 billion in Gross Worth Added (GVA) to the UK economic system and is projected to ship ten instances that quantity over the subsequent decade.
A big knowledge centre can create substantial employment alternatives. Development alone can require over 1,000 employees, whereas long-term operations generate a whole lot extra jobs throughout the broader tech ecosystem. Over the subsequent decade, almost 60,000 jobs are anticipated to be created by this sector throughout the UK.
By decentralising the UK’s knowledge centre infrastructure and investing in areas outdoors of London, the UK can improve its knowledge centre resilience whereas addressing regional inequalities. With strategic planning and authorities help, knowledge centres may turn into a cornerstone of regional regeneration and nationwide financial progress. Larger Manchester and the North West has the potential to be the nation’s pioneer on this regard, serving to the UK set up a thriving secondary knowledge centre hub.
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