Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in the UK refers to essential assets, facilities, systems, networks, or processes that are vital for the functioning of the country. Critical National Infrastructure comprises of thirteen key sectors – chemicals, civil nuclear, communications, defence, emergency services, energy, finance, food, government, health, space, transport, and water.
In a significant move to bolster cybersecurity and digital resilience, the UK government has now officially classified data centres as Critical National Infrastructure. This decision places data centres on par with those essential services such as communications and the energy supply. The government’s technology secretary Peter Kyle has called data centres “the engines of modern life”.
Key Implications
Data centres play an essential role akin to the UK’s communication structure and indeed underpin a lot of the other critical infrastructure. As such data centres are expected to receive extra government support, especially considering the potential threat of major incidents such as cyber-attacks, IT outages or even extreme weather.
This new support focus will help minimise disruption to the UK economy. Recent incidents such as the CrowdStrike glitch which affected an estimated 8.5 million devices worldwide have brought IT infrastructure into focus, as this has been labelled as potentially the biggest cyber event recorded. This support will help prioritise recovery, keeping essential services online and helping drive economic growth.
Investment Boost
The announcement of data centres to be designated as Critical National Infrastructure coincides with announcements of further IT investment in the UK.
DC01UK announced a £3.75 billion investment to build what could become Europe’s largest data centre campus. The project, planned for an 85-acre site in Hertfordshire, is expected to create 500 jobs during construction and 200 permanent positions upon completion. DC01UK will potentially support an additional 13,740 jobs in the UK’s data and technology sectors, with the plan to be operational by 2029.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has also announced it will be investing £8 billion over the next five years to build and operate new data centres. This follows on from existing projects from both Microsoft and Google.
Industry Response
Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, called the investment as “a vote of confidence” in the government’s plans to grow the sector. The data centre industry has largely welcomed the CNI designation, seeing it as recognition of the sector’s critical role in modern digital infrastructure. This move aligns with a global trend of recognizing data centres’ crucial role in the digital economy.
For financial firms and other businesses relying heavily on digital infrastructure, this development signals:
- Increased reliability and security of UK-based data services
- Potential for improved disaster recovery and business continuity support
- Enhanced government focus on protecting critical digital assets
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the UK’s recognition of data centres as CNI underscores the growing importance of robust, secure IT infrastructure in supporting modern business operations and economic growth.
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