Data centers expanded across the UK as concerns across the UK

According to data shared with BBC News, the number of data centers in the UK is scheduled to increase by about fifth.

Data centers are huge warehouses that are full of powerful computers, which are used to run digital services from movie streaming to online banking – currently the UK has an estimated 477 of them.

Construction researchers have analyzed the planning documents by Barbore and stated that the number is prescribed to jump from around 100, as an increase in Artificial Intelligence (AI) increases the need for processing power.

The majority is being built in the next five years.

However, there are concerns about the large amounts of energy and water, will consume new data centers.

Some experts have warned that it may increase the prices paid by consumers.

More than half of the new data centers will be in London and neighboring counties.

Many American tech giants such as Google and Microsoft and major investment firms are funded privately.

One and nine are planned in Wales, one in Scotland, five in Greater Manchester and other parts of the UK, showing a handful of data.

While the new data centers are mostly due to completion by 2030, the largest single one plan will come later – A Near Newcastle, £ 10 billion AI Data Center in BlythFor the American Private Investment and Wealth Management Company Blackstone Group.

This will include 540,000 square meters – construction of 10 huge buildings covering the size of several large shopping centers – on the site of a former Belith Power Station.

Work is ready to start in 2031 and start for more than three years.

Microsoft is planning four new data centers at a total cost of £ 330 million in the UK, with the estimated completion between 2027 and 2029 – two in the Leeds region, a five -storey site in the Leeds region, a five -storey site in the Econs of Nuport in Wales and a five -storey site in the North West London.

And Google is creating two data centers, a total of £ 450m, spread over 400,000 square meters in North East London in Li Valley Water System.

From some analyzes, the UK is already the third largest nation for data centers behind the US and Germany.

The government has clarified that it assumes that data centers are central for the UK’s economic future – nominating them Important national infrastructure,

But there are concerns about their impact, including a possible knock-on impact on people’s energy bills.

It is not known what will be the energy consumption of new centers because it is not involved in data planning applications, but American data shows that they can be much more powerful than older people.

AI and climate lead in machine learning firm Hugging Face. Sasha Lukkioni explains that in the US, “Average citizens in places like Ohio are watching their monthly bills growing up to $ 20 (£ 15) due to data centers”.

He said that the timeline for new data centers in the UK was “aggressive” and “mechanisms for companies to pay the price for additional energy for power centers – not consumers”.

According to the National System Operator, NESO, the estimated increase of data centers in Great Britain can “add power demand to 71 TWh of electricity in the next 25 years”, which states that it reduces the need for clean power – such as offshore wind.

Concerns about the environmental impact of these huge buildings are also increasing.

Many existing data center plants require large amounts of water to prevent overheating – and most current owners do not share data about their water consumption.

The CEO of the industry body Stephen Hon, the Data Center Alliance says that “to ensure that there is enough water and electricity power, the data center is not something that the industry can solve on its own”.

But he insisted that “data centers are cured with becoming as durable as possible”, such as through dry-cooling methods.

Such promises of future solutions have failed to make some happy.

In the potter bar, Hertfordshire, Residents are objecting For the construction of a £ 3.8bn cloud and AI center on the greenbelt land, describe the area as the “lungs” of their home.

And Dublin currently has a adjournment on the construction of any new data centers as existing people have been placed on the national power provider of Ireland.

In 2023, he took a fifth of the country’s energy demand.

Last month, Anglian Water Objectioned 435 acres of data center site plan at North LincolnshireThe developer says that its purpose is to deploy the “closed loop” cooling system, which will not put pressure on the water supply.

Planning documents suggest that 28 of the new data centers will be likely to be serving by troubled Tems water, including 14 more Slas, which are, which is Already described as Europe’s largest cluster Of buildings.

The BBC understands that Tems Water was talking to the government about the challenge of water demand regarding data centers earlier this year and how it can be reduced.

Water UK, the trade bodies for all water firms, said it wants to supply “strict” centers, but “planning obstacles” needs to be cleaned more quickly.

Ten new reservoirs are being built in Lincolnshire, West Midlands and southeast England.

A spokesman for the UK government said that the data centers were “necessary” and an AI Energy Council was established to ensure that the supply demand could meet the demand for supply, with £ 104bn in the investment of water infrastructure.

Additional Reporting by Tommy Lumbi