Why does the UK have so many data centres?
Slough trading estate, which became famous in The Office, is being taken over by data centres
If The Office was set in 2026, it might be around a data centre, as Slough has become the unofficial capital of what is a massively expanding empire.
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Slough has at least 40 of the centres, with many old buildings being repurposed for the good of tech, but the warehouses are now popping up well beyond old trading estates.
Last month, planning permission was controversially granted for a data centre to be built in East London's historic and cultured Brick Lane.
"Our community should not be expected to accept a noisy, energy-intensive development that will consume enough power for over 15,000 homes," Save Brick Lane campaign group said after the judgement.
Data centres have been championed by the government as a job-supplying necessity to protect against cybercrime and prop up the digital world.
However, the environmental consumption of the centres and the speed at which they are popping up around the UK, thanks to planning rules, has made them controversial.
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What are data centres?
Data centres are warehouses full of powerful computers and the IT equipment that most of the digital world relies on, with servers for data storage, processing, or distribution.
They are run by major IT companies that need the hardware to process and back up operations, such as cloud computing and AI, and can rent the massive spaces.
All electronic information needs to sit somewhere, and the machines are needed to host that information somewhere.
Why does the UK have so many data centres?
The more advanced technology becomes, the bigger or more powerful data centres need to be in order to process and handle the information at speed.
Data centres have been deemed essential services by the British government as they are critical to nearly all economic activity and public services.
They can also help the government in the event of extreme weather and cyber attacks.
Industry body techUK estimated in 2024 that data centres contribute £4.7 billion in annual gross value to the British economy.
Why are they controversial?
The speed at which the data centres are being constructed has alarmed many, with the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill having made the case for their planning approval.
While a world without data centres would dramatically slow down IT systems, they do carry an environmental concern as they use a vast amount of electricity and water, consuming 1.5m litres a day.
The Green Party has called for a temporary ban on new data centres, amid protests that they are taking precedence over housing - and also used one fifth of the UK's total energy in 2023, a figure set to rise.
Party leader Zack Polanski said: "Because they are being deemed as priority infrastructure, they can take priority over people, over food production and vital food services that actually need this energy."
A government spokesman responded: "It would be a disaster for jobs and national security."
Where are the UK's data centres?
There are nearly 500 data centres around the UK, and most are clustered around London, but there are plans for many more, which will be built increasingly around the country.
Slough in Berkshire reportedly has the most data centres in Europe, with at least 40, and planning permission is also being sought for more to be built. They already employ thousands of people.