Heading towards 2030, data centres are set to expand rapidly across the UK.

100 new data centres are currently in the planning stage, and annual spending is set to increase to £10 billion by 2029. As investment accelerates, the demand for specialist data centre recruitment support is expected to rise to assist the planning, construction and operation of this growing industry.

As the sector scales, sustainability is becoming a central priority, especially as the UK nears the 2030 Clean Power targets. Businesses are actively looking to hire individuals who have both technical and sustainability skills and experience to ensure that data centres can thrive, while also ensuring they do not hinder the energy transition.

What are data centres?

A data centre is a physical facility that houses servers and IT infrastructure used to build, run, and deliver applications, and services.

Data centres were first developed as on-premise rooms for the exclusive use of the organisation in question. Over time, businesses have started to outsource several of their IT functions, including to the cloud. Subsequently, data centres have evolved into remote facilities used by cloud services providers. These providers use data centres to host cloud platforms that support the IT networks and infrastructure of many businesses. From social media platforms to e-commerce operations and government portals, everything is being stored on cloud platforms within data centres across the world.

Most recently, there has been a sharp rise in data centre planning and development since the UK Labour Government classified data centres as nationally significant infrastructure projects in the summer of 2024. This classification means that projects can bypass standard planning permissions to reduce project delays.

Why is there a rise in demand for data centres?

Demand for data centres is accelerating for several reasons.

As businesses migrate to cloud computing, they reduce their reliance on on-premise IT infrastructure and instead depend on third-party data centres operated by cloud providers. Rather than maintaining physical servers within their own buildings, organisations are outsourcing storage, processing power, and applications to large-scale facilities designed to support multiple clients. As cloud adoption continues to grow, data centres that host these platforms must expand in size and number to meet demand.

Furthermore, data centres are rising in demand due to the rapid expansion of AI. AI requires vast computer power, high-performance hardware, and significant data storage capacity. Training and developing AI models place a significant strain on infrastructure, meaning that more sophisticated data centres are needed to support the growth of AI.

Consequently, this expansion has increased the demand for data centre recruitment to support the industry.

Data centres in the energy market

Data centres are energy-intensive by design as they need to operate 24/7 and host servers continuously. Energy is used for:

• Powering servers
• Cooling systems
• Backup power supplies
• Infrastructure

As the UK progresses through its energy transition to meet the UN’s 2050 Net Zero targets, the growth of data centres presents a challenge to the UK’s evolving energy sector. These facilities are placing increasing pressure on the electricity and utility networks, due to their high demand for both power and water.

Whilst renewable energy sources are expanding, this increasing pressure on the electricity network may affect the UK’s ability to make the switch to green energy.

Despite these challenges, the UK Government want both data centres and Net Zero to be priorities for the UK over the next few decades. This means that these industries need to work together in order to thrive. A key component of this will be the rise of energy professionals and green skills within data centre recruitment.

Are data centres only causing issues with energy consumption?

No, there are several points of friction felt between the burgeoning data centre sector, the water industry and the wider environmental sector, as well as the energy sector.

Most recently, Anglian Water objected to the development of a 435- acre data centre in North Lincolnshire. Alongside high energy consumption, data centres also require large amounts of water as part of cooling systems. Anglian Water stated that there were already pressures on their infrastructure due to a growing population and ageing networks, let alone the inclusion of more water-hungry data centres.

Thankfully, the data centre in North Lincolnshire has been able to continue in its development by using a closed-loop supply to limit its water requirements; however, this story demonstrates how much the data centre industry is reliant on the utility sector for growth and potential issues that may crop up in the future.

Data centres can also create broader environmental and resource concerns, including:

• E-waste and chemicals
• Heat pollution
• Carbon emissions
• Overconsumption of resources like metals

All of these need to be understood and closely managed by professionals such as Sustainability Leads within data centre organisations, to ensure data centres have limited negative effects on the environment.

What are green data centres?

Green data centres are sites that prioritise sustainability at every stage of development and construction, following through to regular reviews to ensure that operations remain efficient. They use energy generated from renewable sources such as solar or wind, as well as implementing energy-efficient cooling and water conservation.

Whilst not every data centre will be green, sustainability has become a key priority within the sector. This has given rise to professionals with green skills throughout data centre recruitment.

What emerging energy jobs are rising in demand in data centre recruitment?

As operators work to meet various sustainability markers, data centre recruitment is focusing on securing energy professionals and those with green skills. Some of the jobs rising in demand across the UK include:

Environmental impact managers – collect information on sustainability and secure approval for large data centre sites

Mechanical & electrical engineers – design networks and systems that are critical to data centre performance, reliability and cost

Energy procurement & PPA specialists – work on data centre corporate energy teams to source the best contracts from energy suppliers

Energy efficiency engineers – analyse real-time energy consumption data and work to optimise performance

Sustainability analysts – produce ESG reports on data centre operations and monitor renewable energy usage

Carbon reduction project managers –  specialist project managers who work on a variety of decarbonisation projects, either during the planning and construction of the data centre or during operations

Overall, as the world embraces growing digitalisation and AI implementation, there is a responsibility from the technology sector to ensure that data centre recruitment includes green energy professionals who can help these facilities to be more energy and water-efficient. Working together with the energy sector can help both industries thrive during the energy transition.

Looking to establish a sustainable data centre recruitment campaign? VIQU Energy have deep networks within the energy sector to secure the professionals you need. Click here to get in touch with our team.