Data Centres

Every byte of data must ultimately be stored in a physical hard drive somewhere in the world. Data centres provide the physical infrastructure to do that; they are the heart of the digital sector. Data intensive companies will be more likely to base themselves near data centres to maximise the reliability of their services. Therefore, understanding where data centres are located gives a clue to where the digital infrastructure economy is likely to grow.

About this data

Information on data centres is not freely available. Different sources will tell you different numbers of data centres located in the UK. The total number of data centres from our source aligns with the total from multiple other sources. Where discrepancies in the number of data centres in the UK occur, it is likely due to some locations not being openly available.

Number of data centres by Local Authority

Key findings

As a business hub, it is not surprising to see a large number of data centres in Slough (19). Tower Hamlets (East London) has joint most (19), while Manchester (8) has the second most data centres. Data centres tend to be clustered rather than spread evenly across the country. This is due to energy availabiity and business demand for proximity to data centres. Many data centres are located along the 'knowledge corridor', following the route of international fibre optic cables, between Cornwall and London, and eventually mainland Europe.

Most major cities have several data centres, with notable abscences in the North West and East of England, and Wales. Increasingly, data centres are being created outside of the traditional 'knowledge corridor', where access to energy and water is more plentiful.

20
10
0
Hexmap Aberdeen City
Number of data centres: 1
Babergh
Number of data centres: 1
Basildon
Number of data centres: 1
Bolton
Number of data centres: 1
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Number of data centres: 1
Bracknell Forest
Number of data centres: 2
Bradford
Number of data centres: 2
Braintree
Number of data centres: 1
Brent
Number of data centres: 2
Brighton and Hove
Number of data centres: 1
Broxbourne
Number of data centres: 1
Broxtowe
Number of data centres: 1
Buckinghamshire
Number of data centres: 1
Calderdale
Number of data centres: 2
Cardiff
Number of data centres: 3
Causeway Coast and Glens
Number of data centres: 1
Chelmsford
Number of data centres: 1
Cheltenham
Number of data centres: 1
Cheshire West and Chester
Number of data centres: 1
City of Edinburgh
Number of data centres: 3
City of London
Number of data centres: 1
Colchester
Number of data centres: 2
Coventry
Number of data centres: 1
Crawley
Number of data centres: 1
Croydon
Number of data centres: 1
Dacorum
Number of data centres: 4
Dartford
Number of data centres: 1
Derby
Number of data centres: 1
Dorset
Number of data centres: 1
Dover
Number of data centres: 1
Dundee City
Number of data centres: 1
Ealing
Number of data centres: 3
Fareham
Number of data centres: 6
Gateshead
Number of data centres: 1
Glasgow City
Number of data centres: 2
Gloucester
Number of data centres: 1
Gosport
Number of data centres: 1
Greenwich
Number of data centres: 1
Hackney
Number of data centres: 3
Halton
Number of data centres: 1
Hertsmere
Number of data centres: 1
Hillingdon
Number of data centres: 3
Hounslow
Number of data centres: 4
Huntingdonshire
Number of data centres: 1
Islington
Number of data centres: 2
Leeds
Number of data centres: 4
Liverpool
Number of data centres: 5
Maidstone
Number of data centres: 2
Manchester
Number of data centres: 8
Milton Keynes
Number of data centres: 1
Newcastle upon Tyne
Number of data centres: 1
Newham
Number of data centres: 4
North Lanarkshire
Number of data centres: 1
North Northamptonshire
Number of data centres: 1
North Tyneside
Number of data centres: 2
North Yorkshire
Number of data centres: 1
Nottingham
Number of data centres: 4
Oxford
Number of data centres: 1
Peterborough
Number of data centres: 1
Reading
Number of data centres: 2
Redditch
Number of data centres: 1
Reigate and Banstead
Number of data centres: 1
Rotherham
Number of data centres: 1
Rushmoor
Number of data centres: 1
Salford
Number of data centres: 2
Sheffield
Number of data centres: 3
Slough
Number of data centres: 19
South Gloucestershire
Number of data centres: 1
South Staffordshire
Number of data centres: 1
Southwark
Number of data centres: 1
Stevenage
Number of data centres: 2
Surrey Heath
Number of data centres: 1
Sutton
Number of data centres: 1
Swale
Number of data centres: 1
Swindon
Number of data centres: 1
Telford and Wrekin
Number of data centres: 5
Tower Hamlets
Number of data centres: 19
Trafford
Number of data centres: 6
Wakefield
Number of data centres: 1
Welwyn Hatfield
Number of data centres: 2
West Berkshire
Number of data centres: 3
Westminster
Number of data centres: 3
Wiltshire
Number of data centres: 1
Windsor and Maidenhead
Number of data centres: 2
Wirral
Number of data centres: 1
Woking
Number of data centres: 3
Wokingham
Number of data centres: 2
Wolverhampton
Number of data centres: 5
York
Number of data centres: 1
Source: PeeringDB
Layout: Local Authority Districts 2023 Open Innovations (MIT)
License: Data used with permission from peeringDB

Number of data centres by Combined Authority/Growth Region

20
10
0
Source: PeeringDB
Layout: Combined Authorities 2024
License: Data used with permission from peeringDB