It’s time for the data centre sector to tell a better story

The UK urgently needs more data centres but building them is becoming increasingly difficult. 

Data centres sit at the heart of the government’s digital growth agenda and have recently been recognised as Critical National Infrastructure. Their expansion is essential to delivering economic growth, artificial intelligence and technological leadership. 

But delivery is becoming harder. A limited supply of suitable sites, constraints on grid capacity and rising public concern about environmental and community impacts are slowing progress. Together, these pressures are creating not just a delivery challenge, but a growing reputational risk for the sector. 

At the core of this issue is a simple problem: most people don’t really understand what data centres do or why they matter. 

SEC Newgate’s ‘Does Not Compute’ research, published today, highlights a significant knowledge gap across the UK. Crucially, it also shows that when people do understand data centres – their function, their necessity, and their benefits – they are far more likely to view them positively.  

This should be an opportunity, but historically, the sector has struggled to make its case. 

Data centre operators have tended to keep a low profile, influenced in part by the culture of confidentiality that surrounds Big Tech. Even within the industry, openness has often been limited. As a result, positive stories about jobs, investment, community benefit, and so on, have gone largely untold. 

This now needs to change. If the industry is to close the knowledge gap and shift perception, it must do more to clearly and consistently communicate its value. This means moving beyond technical explanations and telling tangible, human stories about impact. 

There are compelling examples to draw on. In some cases, waste heat from data centres is already being used to warm public swimming pools or support district heating schemes – practical benefits that resonate far more with local communities than abstract discussions about digital infrastructure. 

The sector also needs to tackle persistent myths. Take water use: data centres are often portrayed as heavy consumers – and our research finds it is one of the public’s key concerns - but in the UK the reality is more nuanced. Many facilities use water-efficient or waterless cooling systems, with relatively low overall consumption. The most extreme examples of intensive water use tend to come from hotter, drier regions, including parts of the US, where evaporative cooling is more common. Too often, these distinctions are lost, reinforcing a perception that does not reflect the full picture. 

Ultimately, the opportunity is clear. The UK needs more data centres, and quickly. But as projects come forward, the industry faces a familiar challenge: how to make essential infrastructure acceptable at a local level. 

Meeting that challenge will depend not just on planning policy or technical design, but on the sector’s ability to build understanding and trust. In short, it needs to tell a better story.