Deep Green
You’ve probably heard of data centres. You might even be living near one. But how much do you know about what goes on behind the closed doors of a data centre facility?
Only 8% of the UK public say they know a lot about data centres. With an estimated 500 data centres in the UK, we think people should know who their data centre neighbours are. We’re breaking down exactly what a UK data centre is, how it operates, and what impact it has on your community and environment when one moves in next door.
What is a data centre?
First things first. What actually is a data centre? A data centre is a building that stores and processes the data we use to power our digital lives. Every site you load on the internet, every film you stream, and every ChatGPT request or Google search you make is powered by a data centre. Businesses such as banks might store your information in a data centre, while universities may use data centre facilities for research. Any industry that’s introducing AI features, for example, pharmaceuticals or advanced manufacturing, will require a data centre to operate its AI workloads.
Inside a data centre facility, you’ll find rows of servers stacked on top of one another, each roughly the size of a large pizza box. As these servers process requests, they become extremely hot, so data centres must also be equipped with cooling systems. These use either air or water to reduce the temperature of servers. In the majority of instances, heat is vented into the air and wasted. However, there are some up-and-coming examples of innovative, responsible operators who connect to local district heating systems, meaning excess server heat can be reused by local community facilities.
What does it mean if I live near a data centre?
You might have heard of communities protesting data centre builds, both in the UK and across the pond in the US. Citizen concerns include UK data centres taking over green spaces, using water resources, or draining power from the grid. However, not all data centres are built the same. When data centres work with, rather than against, communities, they can positively impact locals’ lives.
Data centres that donate their excess heat to local communities via district heating systems have what we describe as ‘a social license to operate’. By heating local swimming pools, residential or public buildings, greenhouses, or other facilities, their compute becomes a force for good. For example, in Deep Green’s latest Manchester data centre, server heat will warm Move Urmston Leisure Centre’s swimming pool, saving them £80,000 per year on heating costs. In the face of rising heating bills, supporting local communities with free heat is even more vital. What’s more, reusing heat reduces a community’s environmental impact, too; Move Urmston will cut 100-150 tons of CO2 per year thanks to Deep Green’s free heat.
Common misconceptions about data centres: your FAQs answered
Q: Are data centres loud?
A: Large, legacy data centre facilities can be loud, due to fan cooling systems and back-up power generators. Closed-loop liquid-cooled data centres, like Deep Green’s facilities, allow for quieter cooling technologies.
Q: Do data centres affect local property prices?
A: No, studies have shown that data centres don’t negatively impact property prices. This is especially true for small data centres that are built into existing urban infrastructure, such as Deep Green’s Urmston facility.
Q: Is it bad to live near a data centre?
A: Not necessarily. While large, rural facilities may reduce green space in your area, smaller data centres that integrate with the nearby community by donating free heat offer positive benefits for local people.
Q: Will data centres take all the local electricity?
A: No. While data centres sometimes use significant amounts of electricity, they are designed to work to the capacity of the local grid. More efficient facilities (such as those that reuse heat) also have lower electricity requirements.
Q: Is my data safe in a data centre?
A: Your data is well-protected in a UK data centre, which must comply with UK GDPR laws. However, data that’s in a US-based cloud provider may not be required to follow such strict data protection laws.
Q: Are data centres bad for the environment?
A: It depends. Inefficient data centres that don’t use renewable energy and don’t reuse heat have a larger environmental impact than smaller, efficient facilities that donate heat to local communities.
New data centre in your area? Here’s what to ask
As well as operating with the community in mind, it’s also crucial for data centres to be transparent with locals about their plans and impact. Here are the questions to ask if you’re getting a new data centre neighbour.
Will the data centre be built on a new green space, or will it adapt existing infrastructure?
Does the data centre use water-based cooling, and if so, where do its water resources come from?
What’s the data centre’s PUE? This metric shows how efficient a facility is (the lower the better).
What energy sources power the data centre?
What sustainability measures are in place?
Is the data centre working towards net-zero operations?
Does the data centre plan to mitigate noise pollution?
What security measures are in place?
Will the data centre donate heat to the community via district heating systems?
Will the data centre benefit the community in other ways beyond free heat?
How can I communicate concerns about the data centre build?
Your new data centre neighbour could be a community asset
In 2026, it’s clear that data centres (and the AI workloads they power) aren’t going anywhere. As data sovereignty concerns mount, we’ll need more UK data centres than ever to facilitate enterprises in running workloads on UK soil. Building facilities that help, rather than harm, communities can turn data centres into forces for good, giving them a ‘social license to operate’. Living near a data centre can become a positive asset, as you benefit from the free compute heat that keeps local facilities running. Want to know more about how you could benefit from living near a Manchester data centre? Check out DG01, our data centre in Urmston, Greater Manchester.
