The UK Government has officially recognised data centres as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), placing them alongside essential services such as energy and water systems.
This designation is aimed at strengthening protections against cyber threats and IT disruptions for these vital facilities.
By elevating data centres to CNI status, the government plans to improve support and resources for managing risks.
This change will help ensure data centres, which are crucial for the UK’s digital economy, can operate securely and efficiently.
The update also coincides with a proposed £3.75 billion investment in a major data centre project in Hertfordshire, which is expected to generate thousands of jobs.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Bringing data centres into the CNI regime will allow better coordination and cooperation with the government against cyber criminals and unexpected events.”
Bruce Owen, UK Managing Director of digital infrastructure provider Equinix, said: “The internet, and the digital infrastructure that underpins it, has rapidly grown to be as fundamental to each one of our daily lives as water, gas and electricity, and is now a service that people and the UK economy can no longer live without.”
Matthew Evans, Director of Markets and Chief Operating Officer at techUK, said: “Data centres are fundamental to our digitising economy and are a key driver of growth.”
