Why the UK’s data centre market is still one of the largest in Europe

The market for data centres across Europe is growing. In fact, in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, capacity is increasing faster than ever.

The January 2019 editions of the Euro-Data Centre and the UK-Data Centre Trends Trackers published by datacentrepricing.com highlights that UK average pricing remains more expensive than the other large markets of Germany, France and the Netherlands. Yet still the UK boasts 840,000 square metres of data space compared with Germany following at 509,000 square metres.

UK data centre expansion

Appetite for edge computing, that brings computer data storage closer to a location in which it’s needed, is one of the drivers behind the UK’s growth, with data centres popping up in more regional areas.

While London and the Inner M25 area is the largest area of data centre space, with 260,000 square metres, followed by Slough at 107,000 square metres, other clusters include Cardiff, Manchester, Woking, and Farnborough. New data centre space is also emerging in Edinburgh, Leeds, and Newcastle. Portsmouth and Gloucester have opened data centre facilities within the last year.

A paper by techUK argues that data centres underpin the digital economy, improving productivity and generating employment across multiple business centres.

Preventing data centre downtime

To keep the UK data centre market operational, downtime is not an option. Cooling is a key element of a data centre’s running, with closed circuit water systems used as part of this process. By using 24/7 monitoring, along with other technologies, such as water recycling, data centre owners can avoid breakdown, keep systems cool and ensure sustainability. We also provide Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring, ventilation and ductwork cleaning – keeping this other important piece of the data centre jigsaw clean and contaminant free.

Contact us to find out how we are helping this growing part of infrastructure and economy.