Tech giant Google is opening a data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, today (16 September) as part of a two-year £5bn investment in the UK.
The data centre will help meet growing demand for AI-powered services like Google Cloud, Workspace, Search and Maps.
The investment includes Google’s capital expenditure, research and development, and related engineering over the next two years – and encompasses Google DeepMind with its AI research in science and healthcare.
Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO, Google DeepMind, said, “The UK has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology – from Lovelace to Babbage to Turing – so it’s fitting that we’re continuing that legacy by investing in the next wave of innovation and scientific discovery in the UK.”
Google has selected Shell Energy Europe as its round-the-clock energy manager, using offtake from its long-term agreement with Engie from the Moray West project in Scotland, storing surplus energy when production is high and releasing stored power back to the grid when production is low.
Google wants its UK operations to run at or near 95% carbon-free-energy by 2026.
The Waltham Cross data centre uses advanced air-cooling technology to limit water usage to domestic use and is also equipped to support off-site heat recovery, meaning heat from the data centre can be re-routed and provided free to local businesses and homes.
Speaking on BBC radio, Dame Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, said, “There are things we have to be aware of – (such as) what data centre regulation this will run under. But overall the US is putting faith in the UK to deliver this type of technology and AI applications. The exciting thing is powering data centres using air rather than water and heating the local area – it’s an amazing opportunity.”
The announcement comes ahead of President Trump’s visit to the UK in which further partnerships are expected to be unveiled.
The data centre and AI boom is placing huge strains on energy capacity. Electricity demand from AI-optimised data centres is projected to more than quadruple by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.
Rolls-Royce has joined forces with Power-to-X specialist Ineratec to decarbonise backup power systems in data centres using synthetic e-fuels produced from renewable hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide.
US-based New Era Helium will rebrand to New Era Energy & Digital, reflecting a shift from being a pure helium and natural gas company to a vertically integrated energy and digital infrastructure platform. The move centres on powering next-generation AI and high-performance computing (HPC) campuses.
All kinds of energy sources and technologies will be needed to meet booming demand, delegates attending the Qatar Economic Forum heard in May.
