Powering the next wave of UK data centre growth urgently demands energy resilience to catch up with AI ambition

The UK data centre sector enters 2026 at a defining moment. Artificial intelligence has moved decisively from aspiration to infrastructure reality, unlocking unprecedented levels of investment and political focus. Yet while demand for new data centres is accelerating at pace, the industry must resist the temptation to equate capital commitment with infrastructure readiness.

Rapid growth without energy resilience is fragile and nowhere is that more evident than in the UK’s power grid.

AI investment is accelerating and UK power infrastructure is under pressure

The UK Government has sent a very clear signal, AI is now considered critical national infrastructure. Commitments of up to £2 billion by 2030 to expand public compute capability including a major £1 billion uplift to the AI Research Resource (AIRR) and national supercomputing capacity have helped stimulate private investment across the data centre sector.

Industry experts suggest UK data centre investment will rise from under £2 billion annually in 2024 to more than £10 billion per year by 2029. Much of this growth is directly driven by AI workloads, hyperscale expansion, and the need for low-latency, high-density environments.

For the UK economy, this presents a generational opportunity to strengthen digital sovereignty and attract global technology leaders. However, capital alone does not guarantee operational success.

The AI reality check is Infrastructure will define AI growth pace

AI promises extraordinary capability, but its limitations are often overlooked. AI systems are extremely power-hungry, operate continuously, and are very unforgiving of instability. Unlike traditional IT loads, AI does not peak and fall in conventional IT load terms, it consumes dense, sustained power around the clock.

Power Control’s Divisional Manager, Christian de Knock, warns:
 “The AI revolution represents the most significant shift in power infrastructure demand we’ve seen in decades.”

The true value of AI is only realised when it can run continuously. Even brief service interruptions can result in lost productivity, corrupted datasets, financial penalties, and competitive disadvantage. In this critical environment, power resilience is no longer a technical safeguard, it is the commercial differentiator.

UPS systems shift from operational backup to strategic infrastructure

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems have always been fundamental to data centre design. In an AI-driven environment, their role has evolved.

UPS infrastructure is no longer a passive safety net. It is now an active enabler of uptime, protecting high-value AI hardware from micro-outages, voltage instability, and grid disturbances that can disrupt expensive AI training cycles or interfere with model workloads.

These modern AI loads have introduced rapid fluctuations and extreme power density, conditions that current electrical designs were never intended to support. UPS systems must now respond dynamically, manage power quality, and integrate seamlessly into wider energy strategies.

Without resilient UPS protection and expert lifecycle support, even the most advanced AI infrastructure is going to be exposed.

Is the UK energy grid ready for the AI era?

Despite the strong policy intent, the current UK’s energy infrastructure remains a significant constraint on future data centre growth. Already we can see grid congestion, long connection timelines, and escalating costs are becoming structural challenges, not temporary obstacles.

At the same time, facility operators face rising tax pressures, volatile energy pricing, and increasingly demanding sustainability targets. The irony is hard to ignore given that organisations are scaling AI capabilities that require vast, constant power while simultaneously being obligated to reduce energy impact.

UPS systems can certainly mitigate short-term power risk, but they cannot solve systemic grid limitations. Without long-term coordinated planning and accelerated investment in wider utility infrastructure, the gap between AI ambition and robust energy readiness will continue to widen.

DC power challenges are intensifying

• On the ground, data centre operators are already contending with a growing list of operational concerns including;
• Rising power density and cooling demands, driven by AI and high-performance systems.
• Energy grid congestion, particularly in established data centre real estate.
• The need for energy flexibility which requires the delicate balance of short-term demand side responses and long-term energy resilience planning.
• Supply chain complexity, particularly for advanced power protection and electrical equipment.
• Each of these challenges reinforces the need for experienced technical design, proactive maintenance, and long-term service support from critical power experts like Power Control Limited.

Mr De Knock said: “AI has fundamentally changed the risk profile of data centre operations. Power resilience is no longer just about regular UPS backup; it's now focussed on operational continuity, predictability, and long-term energy performance. At Power Control, our focus is on supporting customers through the full lifecycle of their UPS infrastructure, ensuring their critical energy systems remain 100% reliable as power demands of AI systems intensify.”   

AI ambition must be matched by power resilience.

The UK’s AI-led data centre expansion represents an outstanding generational opportunity. 

We can already see that government investment and private capital are now rapidly aligning at scale, but any successful, long term growth now depends on its technical execution.

As we move through 2026 and beyond, the organisations that thrive will be those that prioritise resilient power infrastructure, build intelligent UPS strategies, and rely upon expert service support. AI may well shape the future, but it is dependable power that will keep it running.

The question isn't whether AI will transform our power infrastructure needs. It already has. The question is whether we're moving fast enough to keep up.