techUK Report - Understanding data centre water use in England

techUK is pleased to announce the release of its latest report into water use across England’s commercial data centres. Our report offers evidence into how data centres use and manage water amid the growing interest of the environmental footprint of digital infrastructure.

Key Findings

These findings challenge assumptions that data centres are inherently water-intensive. Instead, many facilities are already deploying efficient and climate-conscious solutions, and the industry is well-positioned to build on these efficiency gains in the coming years.

Why This Matters

Data centres are essential to the UK's digital economy and AI ambitions, powering everything from financial transactions and emergency response to cloud services and advanced computing. With Government targeting a 20-fold increase in sovereign compute capacity by 2030, it's critical to make sure growth happens in a sustainable manner.

We hope this report contributes to a more data-driven conversation in England and the UK, helping policymakers, regulators and the public understand how digital infrastructure intersects with broader water and climate goals to ensure future decisions are well-evidenced.

techUK Recommendations

techUK recommends the following to both Government and operators to allow for responsible sector growth while supporting evidence-based policymaking.

techUK looks forward to working with the Government to deliver on economic growth.

We thank techUK members, particularly Ark Data Centres, Pure Data Centres Group, and NTT DATA, for assisting in the drafting of the report and for contributing case studies. We would also like to thank the techUK Data Centre Council – comprised of twenty senior business leaders representing the full spectrum of interests of the sector and wider industry, for their assistance.

Data Centres Programme activities

techUK provides a collective voice for UK Data Centre operators working with government to improve the business environment for our members. We keep members up to date with the key technical and regulatory developments that may impact growth and on funding opportunities that may increase commercial competitiveness. Visit the programme page here.