The Data Centre Alliance has expanded its industry network with the addition of Onnec and RS Group, while also announcing a strategic partnership with the Carbon Trust aimed at accelerating the sector’s transition to net zero.

The announcements come as the UK data centre market continues to see significant growth, with demand being driven by cloud services, AI workloads and the wider digitisation of the economy. That growth is creating opportunities for operators and suppliers, but it is also sharpening long-standing questions around power availability, resilience, supply chains and the environmental impact of new infrastructure.

According to figures cited by the DCA, the UK data centre market is Europe’s largest and the third largest globally, with more than 500 operational facilities generating around £4.7 billion in annual gross value added. That figure is projected to increase by a further £44 billion by 2035.

Growing the DCA’s industry base

Onnec, which provides IT infrastructure and data centre solutions, has joined the DCA as it looks to support the continued development of the UK data centre market.

The company has more than 30 years of experience delivering critical infrastructure projects across data centres, enterprise environments and hyperscale facilities. Its services include structured cabling, network infrastructure, data centre design, installation and operational support.

Claire Keelan, UK Managing Director at Onnec, noted, “The UK has a tremendous opportunity to lead in digital infrastructure innovation, but achieving that requires strong partnerships, shared expertise, and a commitment to delivering at pace. We’re excited to work with the DCA and alongside fellow members to help support the next phase of growth for the industry.”

Steve Hone, Chief Executive of the Data Centre Alliance, added, “We are delighted to welcome Onnec to the Data Centre Alliance (DCA) community. With more than 30 years of experience delivering critical infrastructure projects across data centre environments, Onnec brings valuable expertise and insight to our growing network.”

RS Group has also joined the trade association as a Platinum Partner. The company provides product and service solutions for industrial customers, with the partnership focused on supporting data centre operators as pressure grows around uptime, supply chain resilience and rapid deployment.

Richard Graham, Industry Sector Manager at RS, commented, “We’re proud to have Platinum Partner status with the DCA. In critical environments like data centres, service matters. When data centre teams are under pressure, they need access to real support from people who understand not only the products they require, but also the operational realities they face. This partnership illustrates our commitment to sharing insights to help operators in this sector protect uptime – which is crucial as downtime is often measured in fractions of a per cent.”

Hone noted, “The DCA is delighted RS has joined the trade association as a Platinum Partner, and we very much look forward to working with the team there. RS’s offering in providing product components and a reliable supply chain is a vital element in the data centre sector at this time of high growth.”

Sustainability moves up the agenda

While expanding its membership base is important for the DCA, its partnership with the Carbon Trust is a big move, especially as data centre growth comes under increasing scrutiny over energy use and carbon emissions.

The partnership will focus on developing sector-specific guidance for decarbonisation, improving measurement and reporting of emissions and energy use, and encouraging collaboration between operators, suppliers and policymakers.

Hone said, “Sustainable growth in digital infrastructure is now a strategic requirement, not an aspiration. This partnership brings together the insight, capability and reach needed to help the sector navigate increasing demand while delivering against Net Zero commitments. By working with the Carbon Trust, we can provide our members with clearer pathways, better data, and more coordinated action across the ecosystem.”

Bob Burgoyne, Data Centre Lead at the Carbon Trust, concluded, “AI adoption is both accelerating the build-out of data centre infrastructure and putting the environmental impact of that build-out in the spotlight. This is a pivotal moment for the sector to fulfil its potential as a leader in the transition to Net Zero, through supporting innovation in our energy system and designing decarbonisation into data centre facilities. Our partnership with The DCA will seize on this potential to develop realistic, tangible initiatives which capitalise on the expertise and ambition among its members.”

The hope is that the partnership will move the sector beyond broad sustainability commitments and towards more practical delivery. That will be increasingly important as data centre development expands beyond London and into emerging hubs across the North West, Scotland and other strategic locations.

The challenge, of course, is that the industry’s growth is not slowing down. If anything, AI adoption is accelerating demand for new capacity. The question now is whether the sector can scale quickly enough to support that demand, while also proving that sustainability and resilience are being built into the next generation of digital infrastructure from the start.