Government Support and Investment
The has classified data centers as critical national infrastructure (CNI), aiming to enhance cybersecurity and resilience against cyber-attacks, IT blackouts, and environmental disasters. This designation aligns data centers with sectors like water, energy, and emergency services, ensuring greater governmental support.
A proposed £3.75 billion investment by DC01UK for Europe's largest data center in is expected to generate over 700 jobs locally and support thousands more nationally. Additionally, Amazon Web Services plans to invest £8 billion in the UK over the next five years.
Strategic Measures and Challenges
The CNI designation will facilitate better coordination between data center operators and the government, including priority access for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to bolster online resilience. A dedicated CNI data infrastructure team will oversee threat monitoring and emergency responses.
Despite the potential benefits, there are concerns about whether the CNI designation will deter cybercriminals or make data centers more attractive targets for attacks. The designation adds data centers to the UK's CNI list, which now includes 14 sectors, highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity in the digital economy.