A new survey has suggested that half of UK consumers (51%) have never heard the term ‘data centre’, underscoring a significant lack of awareness about the facilities responsible for powering everyday digital services. 

The research, carried out by Telehouse, also reveals that 67% of respondents are unsure what a data centre is or does – despite the government recently designating them as Critical National Infrastructure.

Involving over 2,000 UK consumers, the study found that while 48% of people believe data centres positively impact the digital services they use, a large portion of the public remains uncertain about the scope of operations. Nearly half (43%) are unaware of how many people, applications and volumes of data these sites support.

The report also points to mixed perceptions regarding remote working, with 59% viewing data centres as important to enabling work-from-home arrangements. However, 19% remain unclear about the role of data centres in supporting remote activities, and 15% see them as not very or not at all critical to this trend.

To address these gaps in understanding, Telehouse has introduced an educational initiative featuring a character named ‘DC’, aimed at explaining the function and significance of data centres.

Mark Pestridge, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Telehouse Europe, commented on the project, “We realise there’s a significant knowledge gap regarding data centres and their impact on digital lives. By introducing ‘DC,’ we hope to educate people about the critical work done in data centres and inspire our future generations to consider careers in this field. We also hope that bridging this knowledge divide may be key to increasing trust in the digital infrastructure that underpins our connected lives.”