Market profile
United Kingdom
The UK is Europe's largest colocation market by the government's own estimate, heavily concentrated in London. DSIT estimated about 1.6 GW of maximum rated IT load in colocation data centres in Great Britain in autumn 2024, with 1,048 MW in London. Data centres were added to the NSIP regime in England from January 2026, Ofgem is consulting on connection reforms after demand applications surged, and grid timing is now the main constraint, as the Loughton case shows.
- Indicator
- 125 GW Demand connection applications in GB queue, mid 2025 Official source
- Tracked project records
- 4
- Policy records
- 2
- Cloud regions
- 6
- Last checked
- 18 Oct 2026
Overview
Colocation capacity is concentrated in London and the South East, with Wales the next largest region in the DSIT estimate. Planning, energy and digital policy is split: NSIP rules apply to England, while grid regulation by Ofgem covers Great Britain and Northern Ireland has its own system.
Why it matters for cooling and power
Large AI and cloud projects are being announced faster than the grid can connect them. Connection dates, not land or planning, increasingly decide which UK projects get built.
Key metros and clusters
- London and the South East: DSIT reports London (ITL1) separately from the South East. Projects in Hertfordshire and Essex are mapped to the London metro for display.
Grid context
Ofgem reported demand connection applications rising from 41 GW to 125 GW in under a year to mid 2025, driven largely by data centres, and proposed a refundable commitment fee to filter speculative projects (consultation closed 16 September 2026). The Guardian reported UK Power Networks may not supply the Loughton site until the early to mid 2030s.
Water, heat reuse, efficiency and planning
Since 8 January 2026 large data centres in England can opt into the NSIP development consent route (SI 2026/13). AI Growth Zones offer planning and energy support for selected sites. No national heat reuse obligation equivalent to Germany's EnEfG applies.
Latest changes
- Market 18 Oct 2026 Microsoft reportedly walks away from Nscale's Loughton AI site as grid dates slip: Reuters and the Guardian, citing the Telegraph, reported on 18 October 2026 that Microsoft ended its agreement for Nscale's planned AI data centre at Loughton, Essex. A month earlier the Guardian reported UK Power Networks might not supply enough power until the early to mid 2030s, against a 2027 target. Nscale says it is pursuing alternative power. Third-party reported Related: Microsoft, Nscale Loughton AI data centre (Essex), Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation). theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)channelnewsasia.com (opens in a new tab)
- Project 24 Sept 2026 Nscale Loughton AI data centre (Essex)Reported grid delay: power not expected until early to mid 2030s Third-party reported Related: Nscale Loughton AI data centre (Essex). theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
- Policy 29 Jul 2026 Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation)Ofgem Curate consultation opens Related: Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation). ofgem.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
- Policy 11 Mar 2026 Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation)Government announces demand connections reform Related: Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation). ofgem.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
- Policy 7 Jan 2026 England: data centres added to the Planning Act 2008 business or commercial projects regime (SI 2026/13)Made Related: England: data centres added to the Planning Act 2008 business or commercial projects regime (SI 2026/13). legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
- Project 2 Dec 2025 QTS Cambois data centre campus (Blyth, Northumberland)Phase 1 reserved matters (two data halls) approved Related: QTS Cambois data centre campus (Blyth, Northumberland), QTS Cambois campus phase 1 (two data halls). bbc.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
- Project 16 Sept 2025 Google Waltham Cross data centre (Hertfordshire)Data centre opened Related: Google, Google Waltham Cross data centre (Hertfordshire). googlecloudpresscorner.com (opens in a new tab)
Tracked projects
| Project | Level | Stage | Operator or developer | Latest change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Waltham Cross data centre (Hertfordshire) | building | Operating | 16 Sept 2025: Data centre opened | |
| Nscale Loughton AI data centre (Essex) | project | Delayed | Nscale | 18 Oct 2026: Reuters and the Guardian, citing the Telegraph, reported on 18 October 2026 that Microsoft ended its agreement for Nscale's planned AI data centre at Loughton, Essex. A month earlier the Guardian reported UK Power Networks might not supply enough power until the early to mid 2030s, against a 2027 target. Nscale says it is pursuing alternative power. |
| QTS Cambois campus phase 1 (two data halls) | phase | Permitted | QTS Data Centers | 2 Dec 2025: Phase 1 reserved matters (two data halls) approved |
| QTS Cambois data centre campus (Blyth, Northumberland) | campus | Under construction | QTS Data Centers | 2 Dec 2025: Phase 1 reserved matters (two data halls) approved |
Capacity in tracked public coverage
Tracked public coverage, not a national total. Sums of reported, project-level figures from 0 of the 4 published project records we track for United Kingdom. Each metric and each delivery class is summed on its own and never added to another. Confirmed operating capacity never includes design or ultimate capacity. Delayed projects are never counted as under construction now. Campus and phase figures are not double counted. Ranges and upper bounds are not summed. Unknown values are not counted as zero.
None of the tracked project records for United Kingdom has a figure that can be summed yet. Figures with an unclear basis and undisclosed values are never added. Each project page lists its reported figures as published. Not disclosed is not zero.
Figures not counted (4) and why
- Google Waltham Cross data centre (Hertfordshire)
- Investment GBP 5 billion: Scope is company, not one physical project. Not attributable to this asset.
- Nscale Loughton AI data centre (Essex)
- Grid connection up to 90 MW: Upper bound only ("up to"). Not added to totals.
- QTS Cambois data centre campus (Blyth, Northumberland)
- Investment GBP 10 billion: Marked not summable by research: Headline development value for the whole campus as reported. Period not stated.
- Floor or land area at least 540,000 sq m: Area figures describe different things (site, floor or data hall area). Shown per record, never summed.
Method: capacity rules. Company-wide investment, area figures and third-party market estimates are never included in these sums.
Cloud regions in United Kingdom
A cloud region is a provider's service area. It is not a data centre campus and has no MW figure here.
- AWS Europe (London) eu-west-2, available
- Google Cloud europe-west2 europe-west2, available
- Microsoft Azure UK South uksouth, available
- Microsoft Azure UK West ukwest, available
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure UK South (London) uk-london-1, available
- Oracle Cloud Infrastructure UK West (Newport) uk-cardiff-1, available
Policy timeline
- England: data centres added to the Planning Act 2008 business or commercial projects regime (SI 2026/13) In effect Effective 8 Jan 2026
- Great Britain: Ofgem data centre connection reforms (Demand Connections Reform, Curate consultation) Consultation closed
Operators and developers
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) Hyperscaler, Occupier
- CoreWeave AI cloud, Occupier
- Digital Realty Colocation owner, Colocation operator
- Equinix Colocation owner, Colocation operator
- Google Hyperscaler, Developer, Occupier
- Microsoft Hyperscaler, Developer, Occupier
- Oracle Hyperscaler, Occupier
- Vantage Data Centers Colocation owner, Colocation operator, Developer
Suppliers with evidence in United Kingdom
Listed because a public source shows activity, an office or delivery in United Kingdom. Not an endorsement or proof of any project contract.
Sources (3), last checked 18 Oct 2026
- Estimate of data centre capacity: Great Britain 2024 (opens in a new tab), Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, published 11 Mar 2025, accessed 18 Oct 2026
- Ofgem acts to free up grid capacity by tackling speculative data centre projects (opens in a new tab), Ofgem, published 29 Jul 2026, accessed 18 Oct 2026
- The Infrastructure Planning (Business or Commercial Projects) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/13) (opens in a new tab), legislation.gov.uk, published 2026-01, accessed 18 Oct 2026
Last checked 18 Oct 2026 by CoolPower Index research (automated, sourced). Report a correction.