AECOM has called for the UK to establish a sovereign data centre framework, arguing that the country needs a clearer plan for where critical digital infrastructure is built, how it is powered, and how sensitive AI-related workloads are hosted.
The company warns that rapid growth in data centre investment will not automatically translate into long-term national benefit. It notes that the UK risks losing both strategic control and economic value if data centre expansion is not guided by stronger national priorities and better coordination between energy, infrastructure and regional development policy.
That argument lands at a time when AI is becoming more deeply embedded across public services and regulated industries, raising fresh questions about data sovereignty and control over the infrastructure underpinning those services.
AECOM’s position is that data centres should now be treated as a strategic layer of national infrastructure in policy terms, particularly where workloads are linked to public services or other sensitive uses.
“Data centres are now critical national infrastructure in every meaningful sense”, said Mary-Ann Clarke UK and Europe Data Centre Lead, AECOM.
“A clear sovereign framework would give developers and investors greater certainty, strengthen resilience and help ensure the UK retains control over a critical layer of its digital economy.”
A new report from AECOM sets out several recommendations, centred on creating a clearer framework for how the UK plans and supports future data centre growth.
Among them is a proposal to establish a sovereign data centre infrastructure framework for sensitive public-sector and regulated workloads, backed by clearer demand signals and longer-term contracting models. The report also argues for a more active approach to where digital demand is located, including directing high-intensity computing to areas that can support the energy system and help unlock powered land.
AECOM is also calling for policies that support what it describes as ‘system-positive’ data centres, including facilities that can offer flexible demand, reuse waste heat, or incorporate on-site generation. In parallel, it argues that major developments should be linked more explicitly to regional growth strategies, including skills, regeneration and local energy planning.
“The UK has made important progress in recognising the strategic role of data centres and AI-enabled infrastructure, particularly through recent planning and energy reforms,” said Adrian Del Maestro, Vice President, Global Energy Advisory at AECOM.
“The next step is to build on that momentum by providing clearer long-term signals on where critical digital infrastructure should be located, how it is powered and how sensitive workloads are secured.”
