The Data Centre Alliance (DCA) has partnered with Clear Decisions to develop a live compliance and horizon-scanning service for UK data centres, evolving the DCA’s Legislation Horizon Scan (2025–2027) into a continuous feed that helps operators track and respond to regulatory and policy change.
The organisations say the service will provide DCA members with an online tool, hosted on the DCA website and powered by Clear Decisions’ automation platform, to monitor developments and prioritise actions across compliance and sustainability.
The joint initiative will run in two stages:
Phase 1 (2025): Co-design of a pilot “Watchlist / Foresight Radar” with priority topics, to be announced at the Data Centre Transformation Conference in October 2025.
Phase 2 (January 2026): Launch of a live Watchlist dashboard on the DCA site, underpinned by Clear Decisions’ platform.
The pilot will track high-priority areas including grid connection reforms, lithium-ion battery safety, NIS cyber security requirements, AI policy, and carbon and water regulations affecting planning and operations.
Steve Hone, CEO of the Data Centre Alliance, commented, “This partnership with Clear Decisions is designed to deliver real value to our members and the wider UK data centre community. By transforming our horizon scanning into a live, automated service, we are equipping operators, suppliers and policy stakeholders with a practical tool to navigate fast-moving regulatory and compliance challenges.”
Maximilian Weidl, Co-Founder & CEO of Clear Decisions, added, “We are delighted to be working with The DCA on this initiative. Compliance demands on the data centre sector are increasing rapidly, and automation can play a critical role in reducing risk and improving efficiency. Together, we aim to set a new benchmark for compliance readiness and sustainability foresight.”
According to the partners, the goal is to make compliance more transparent and proactive, reducing administrative burden and strengthening audit-readiness across different data centre types. The live service will be available to all DCA members, with options for broader sector access from 2026.
