In a new report, Data centres, energy and regional growth: a road map to success, the global infrastructure consultancy warns that while investment in data centres is accelerating worldwide, the UK risks losing strategic control unless growth is guided by clearer national priorities and better coordination across planning, energy and regional development.

As AI becomes embedded across public services and regulated industries, AECOM argues that the question of where sensitive data is hosted, and who ultimately controls the infrastructure, is becoming increasingly urgent.

“Data centres are now critical national infrastructure in every meaningful sense,” said Mary‑Ann Clarke, AECOM’s UK and Europe data centre lead. “A clear sovereign framework would give developers and investors greater certainty, strengthen resilience and help ensure the UK retains control over a critical layer of its digital economy.”

Key recommendations from the report include:

• Creating a sovereign data centre infrastructure framework for sensitive public‑sector and regulated workloads, backed by long‑term contracting models and clear demand signals.
• Actively shaping where digital demand is located, directing high‑intensity computing to areas that support the energy system, unlock powered land and drive regional growth.
• Incentivising ‘system‑positive’ data centres that contribute to energy resilience through flexible demand, waste‑heat reuse and on‑site generation.
• Positioning data centres as anchors for regional development, aligning major projects with local skills, energy and regeneration strategies.

Adrian Del Maestro, vice president of global energy advisory at AECOM, said the UK has already taken important steps through recent planning and energy reforms. “The next step is to build on that momentum by providing clearer long‑term signals on where critical digital infrastructure should be located, how it is powered and how sensitive workloads are secured.”