The protection of data centers alone is of little value
In its first Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) designation in more than a decade, the UK government has now announced that data centers should be afforded the same mission-critical status as energy and water systems in a bid to safeguard them against potential threats. This important step aligns with broader European policy, acknowledging the essential role these facilities play in safeguarding data, powering cloud services, and driving technological innovation.
As reliance on digital services continues to grow, particularly with the surge of AI tools and cloud-based applications, ensuring the security and resilience of data centers has become a top priority for governments and businesses alike. The UK’s focus on boosting protections against cyberattacks and system failures highlights the increasing recognition of their role in maintaining societal and economic stability.
However, securing data centers alone is not enough. These facilities are part of a much larger networked ecosystem. Without robust interconnection and network infrastructure linking them together, the data they store and process cannot flow effectively across borders, industries, or platforms. As the world becomes more dependent on digital services, the ability to ensure uninterrupted, high-performance connectivity between data centers and networks is critical – not only for organizations or communities, but for entire economies.Is protecting data centers alone enough?
We are currently seeing a massive boom in data center absorption and new construction projects, driven by recent innovations in AI. In the US, for example, our recently published study shows that current construction projects and plans for future projects will see megawatt (MW) capacity in the market grow by 160% in the next couple of years to around 28,000 MW, up from a little over 11,000 MW today. And that doesn’t include any new construction plans from colocation providers or hyperscalers that might be announced next month! We see similar booms all over the world, including the UK.
Data centers house everything from critical business data to the applications that power daily life. But as industries shift more toward AI, machine learning, and cloud services, it’s not the data centers alone but rather in combination with connectivity that are quickly becoming indispensable. This is because the seamless exchange of data is one of the most effective economic drivers in the modern world. The surge in demand for cloud computing, combined with the increasing reliance on AI-driven services, has led to exponential growth in the amount of data generated, stored, and exchanged.
