UK Data Centres Designated as Critical Infrastructure

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19 September 2024

UK data centres are now classed as critical national infrastructure, the same status associated with energy supply, water supply, transportation, health and telecommunications buildings.

Critical infrastructure is deemed essential for the functioning of society, meaning the interruption of their functioning could cause either significant loss of life or an impact on national security, national defence, or the functioning of the state.

This is the first new Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) designation in almost a decade since the Space and Defence sectors gained this status in 2015. It includes both physical data centres and cloud operators.

The change is intended to make data housed and processed in UK centres less vulnerable to outages or attacks, as the facilities can rely on more government support in recovering from and anticipating critical incidents. 

The UK is currently home to the highest number of data centres in Western Europe. According to JLL’s Global Data Centre Outlook, the hyperscale market (facilities that manage very large data processing and storage needs), is expected to grow 20 per cent from 2021 to 2026, as more major tech companies look to meet the demand for data processing and storage requirements.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Data centres are the engines of modern life, they power the digital economy and keep our most personal information safe.

“Bringing data centres into the Critical National Infrastructure regime will allow better coordination and cooperation with the government against cyber criminals and unexpected events.”

Picture: a photograph showing a network switch panel with multiple Ethernet cables plugged into various ports. Image Credit: Unsplash

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 19 September 2024

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