Data Centres: How do we compare with the US?

Last week, voters came out for Democrats by historic margins. Alongside several issues, "construction of AI data centres" were cited as either very or extremely important by over 50% of voters. Many are now wondering if that sentiment will cross the pond and become a political football in the UK.  Just like the fact that phrase means something entirely different here, below are three charts to demonstrate just how lost in translation this debate has become.  

Chart 1: Capacity mismatch  

The US already runs about 22 times the UK's total data centre capacity. By 2030 it is predicted to add around 76GW, the UK will likely add around 3GW. If this happens, the gap will widen from ~42GW today to ~115GW in 2030.  

Chart 2: Not everything is AI 

As seen in the polling at the top, the debate often assumes all data centres are training large AI models. In fact, most capacity in both countries is for cloud and business services. Where it does happen, the gap in size is stark, US AI training alone will be seven times the UK's entire capacity in 2030.  

Chart 3: Population doesn’t matter 

In response to the first two charts, many will argue this just reflects the vast difference in population size. However, even when adjusting for population size, the US has 5x the capacity of the UK.  

The positive case    

Where the UK Data Centre Sector may trail in size, it more than makes up for in impact. Up and down the country our members are engaging with the local community when developing their projects, from digital skills bootcamps to community funds. Our research has shown the sector adds about £4.7bn to the economy, with the sector in Slough alone contributing more than £30m a year in business rates. Operators across the UK are working hard to tackle real challenges, trying to explain why an apple is not an orange should not be one of them.