businessinfomag.uk magazine 12 Amidst mounting concern about the environmental impact and viability of datacentre developments, the Data Centre Alliance (DCA) is fighting back with the release of research suggesting that public opposition to a new generation of giant AI factories is based on ignorance and prejudice. The DCA commissioned consultancy firm SEC Newgate to conduct separate surveys into the attitudes of 1,500 members of the public and almost 500 councillors who sit on local authority planning committees, many of whom will be responsible for deciding future data centre developments. While their findings highlight widespread concern about datacentre power consumption and the pressure on water resources, they also reveal ‘a knowledge gap’, with 89% of the public admitting they know little or nothing about data centres and only 22% of planning committee councillors being familiar with data centre development applications. Venessa Moffat, Managing Director of the Data Centre Alliance, believes that addressing this gap can help the data centre industry combat local and national opposition to developments at a time when public attitudes towards data centres are still being formed. When SEC Newgate provided respondents with ‘factual information’ explaining what data centres do, how they operate and why they are needed, positive sentiment almost doubled from 35% to 61%, support for building new data centres increased from 54% to 73%, and more than three quarters (79%) backed the government’s decision to classify data centres as Critical National Infrastructure. Moffat said: “Attitudes become significantly more positive when people are engaged early, given clear information and can see how developments will deliver meaningful local benefits. As demand for digital infrastructure grows, trust, transparency and genuine community engagement will be essential to securing long-term public confidence and planning support.” Significant opposition For the time being, there remains significant opposition to data centres that may be competing for space and resources with other essential developments such as affordable housing. Two thirds (67%) believe data centres use too much power, 55% are concerned about pressure on water resources and 66% worry about cyber-security risks. Many question the value of large facilities that generate relatively few local jobs once operational, highlighting the tension between national digital needs and local community impacts. While 60% say they would accept more data centres being built in their local area because they recognise that the UK needs them to support economic growth, digital services and data security, a large minority (40%) wouldn’t, even when the national benefits are made explicit. SEC Newgate suggests that negative perceptions of data centres might be because they have become closely linked in the public mind with artificial intelligence. Three quarters of respondents believe data centres are expanding because of excessive demand from AI, and those who feel most negative about data centres are far more likely also to be deeply concerned about the growth of AI. For Leyla Hart-Svensson, Managing Director, Insight & Intelligence at SEC Newgate, the survey findings and associated report, Does Not Compute: What the UK public really thinks about data centres, highlight the need to build a shared public understanding of why data centres matter and how they fit into everyday life. “What we are seeing is not a public that is opposed to data centres,” she said, “but a public whose views are still forming, and increasingly shaped by, wider anxieties about technology and artificial intelligence. Data centres are no longer invisible infrastructure, as they sit at the intersection of debates about energy, trust and the future of the digital economy. How those debates are framed now will shape acceptance for years to come.” www.secnewgate.com Demonstrating local benefits key to data centre acceptance, suggests new report Winning over the doubters DATA CENTRES Pulsant completes £2m UK data centre refresh Pulsant, the UK data centre and digital infrastructure platform, has completed a two-year, £2 million refresh and modernisation of sites in Croydon, Edinburgh, Maidenhead, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Reading and Rotherham. The Data Centre Experience programme was undertaken to give staff and the 500-plus businesses that house their own servers and IT infrastructure in Pulsant facilities a better on-site experience. Improvements include streamlined security processes; better signage; dedicated breakout spaces for calls, meetings and downtime; meeting rooms equipped with AV and guest Wi‑Fi; EV charging spaces; and dedicated build bays that enable equipment to be configured away from the data hall and then installed. Upgrades are now in progress at Pulsant’s Birmingham and Fareham sites acquired last year from SCC. Venessa Moffat
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