Research: UK residents demonstrate ‘low-level’ understanding of what datacentres do

The UK public is generally accepting of having datacentres built in their communities, despite research showing that large numbers of people have little understanding of what server farms do.

That’s according to research commissioned by colocation giant CyrusOne, which saw 13,000 people from the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France and Germany, polled by market research firm Censuswide.

The findings feature in CyrusOne’s 30-page Listening to communities report, with the UK version of the document indicating that there are low levels of understanding about what datacentres are.

“The level of understanding of datacentre function is low,” the report stated. “The UK was the least likely of all the markets surveyed to choose the correct definition of a datacentre from four options.”

This could spell trouble for the UK government’s recently announced push to expand the number of datacentres in the UK in pursuit of economic growth.

“Without knowing what datacentres do, people will struggle to accept the need for expansion and why this is important for our expansion and social wellbeing,” the report added.

That said, the report stated that UK respondents are broadly aware of the benefits datacentres can bring to local communities, from a job opportunities perspective and the contributions they bring to the local economy.

“Operators in the UK can improve local acceptance of future developments by stimulating economic growth and offering training and apprenticeship opportunities for local people,” the report said.

“Overall, 60% of people in the UK are willing to have a datacentre in their community, rising to 79% of those who already have a datacentre nearby. This suggests that community animosity toward datacentres is overstated.”

But that’s not to say that it’s non-existent. Computer Weekly’s recently reported on Hertsmere Borough Council’s decision to approve planning permission for a datacentre project dubbed DC10UK that is on course to be one of Europe’s biggest datacentres once completed.

A planning document, seen by Computer Weekly, stated that a series of concerns about the impact the build will have on the area’s Green Belt Land, as well as on its biodiversity and local traffic levels, were raised with developers around the time the project was announced in September 2024.

Since then, the project’s planning portal confirms that 408 objections to the project have been raised, while 177 submissions in support of the project have been received.

Even so, Emma Fryer, director of public policy at CyrusOne Europe, said in the report that the results highlight the reasons why operators need to be making an effort to emphasise how the local community is set to benefit from their proposed datacentre builds.

“Economic benefits are the most material to communities and therefore operators should prioritise these economic aspects in their community engagement process – and ensure they deliver against commitments,” said Fryer.

“Although the lack of awareness is worrying, attitudes are more positive than expected. This provides the industry with an opportunity to explain the importance of datacentres to an audience that is likely to be receptive, and to lay the foundations for a more enduring social contract between operators and their host communities.”

When it comes to awareness of what datacentres do, the responses of those from the 13,000-strong pool of respondents further revealed a disconnect in people’s minds between what it is datacentres do and the digital services they deliver.

For instance, when asked in the research what infrastructure and technologies are needed to power digital applications and social media platforms, fewer than half (45%) correctly identified datacentres as playing a role.

Matt Pullen, executive vice-president and managing director for Europe at CyrusOne, said: “Datacentres are the backbone of how we live and work today, but the degree to which they support our society is still largely misunderstood by the general public, as our research demonstrates.”

Misconceptions ultimately lead to mistrust, he added, which is why it is so important that operators do what they can to educate the public about the important role these facilities play in society.

“This is why developing a sound understanding of public attitudes to datacentres is critical to ensure that we can continue to provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for the businesses that depend on us and deliver meaningful benefits to our host communities,” said Pullen. “This was our impetus to conduct the survey and why we are sharing the findings so broadly.”