UK Data Centre Locations: The Complete Map & Directory (2026)

Last updated: February 2026 | Reading time: 28 min

The UK hosts more than 500 operational data centre facilities spread across 80+ markets, making it the largest data centre market in Europe and the fourth largest in the world. In 2025 alone, Microsoft committed £30 billion, Google pledged £5 billion, and Nvidia announced £11 billion in UK data centre investment. The government designated data centres as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in September 2024, and the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 moved projects above 50 MW into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime — cutting planning approval timelines from roughly 18 months to around 6 months.

What does that mean for the people who build and run these facilities? Thousands of new jobs — from civil engineers and M&E contractors during construction to critical facilities engineers and NOC technicians in operations. This guide maps every major UK data centre location, tracks the construction pipeline through 2030, and shows the employment impact of each facility. It is the only resource that connects data centre locations UK to the jobs they create.

Use the interactive map below for a visual overview, then scroll through the regional directory for detailed facility data including MW capacity, build phase, uptime tier, and estimated jobs per site.

How to Use This UK Data Centre Map

The embedded map below pins every major UK data centre facility, colour-coded by status:

• Green — Operational
• Orange — Under construction
• Red — Planning or approved

Click any pin to see the operator name, MW capacity, and a link to the relevant section of this directory. You can filter by region using the map layers panel.

Can't see the map? Open it in Google Maps

Below the map, every facility is listed in regional tables. Each entry follows the same schema: facility name, operator, location, MW IT load capacity, floor area, uptime tier, operational status, year opened, estimated construction jobs, estimated permanent jobs, notable tenants, and PUE rating where publicly available.

Download the UK data centre directory (CSV) — 83 major facilities with full data: coordinates, MW capacity, operator, build status, and region. Covers every significant colocation, hyperscale, and wholesale site in the UK. Free to use with attribution to URecruit Global.

Why the UK Is Europe's Largest Data Centre Market

The UK accounts for roughly 35% of Europe's total data centre capacity. London alone hosts over 200 facilities and more than 1.5 GW of IT load — more than most entire countries. But the market extends well beyond London: Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, and Newcastle are all experiencing significant growth driven by cloud migration, AI workloads, and enterprise demand for low-latency edge capacity.

Several factors make the UK uniquely attractive for data centre development:

• Connectivity. London is home to LINX, the world's largest internet exchange point by member count. Subsea cable landing points in Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland connect the UK directly to North America, mainland Europe, and beyond.
• Talent pool. The UK has the largest pool of skilled data centre professionals in Europe, though demand still outstrips supply — particularly for commissioning engineers, critical facilities engineers, and M&E specialists.
• Policy support. The CNI designation ensures data centres receive priority in planning, energy supply, and national security frameworks. The NSIP fast-track process accelerates large-scale builds.
• Renewable energy. Scotland and Wales offer abundant renewable generation. Several new hyperscale campuses are deliberately siting near wind and solar capacity to meet net-zero commitments.
• Financial markets. Proximity to the City of London and Edinburgh's financial sector drives demand for ultra-low-latency colocation and disaster recovery.

The investment pipeline is extraordinary. Between announced and committed projects, the UK is set to add over 2 GW of new data centre capacity by 2030, requiring an estimated 15,000–20,000 new construction-phase workers and 5,000–8,000 permanent operations staff across the country.

London & South East Data Centre Locations

London and the South East account for roughly 60% of UK data centre capacity. The region benefits from unmatched fibre connectivity, proximity to financial services clients, and a dense ecosystem of cloud on-ramps and internet exchange points. However, power constraints and planning restrictions in central London are pushing new developments westward towards Slough, Hayes, and Hemel Hempstead.

Docklands & East London

The original heart of the UK data centre industry. Telehouse's campus on Coriander Avenue in Docklands remains one of Europe's most connected carrier-neutral facilities.

Slough & Berkshire

Slough Trading Estate and surrounding areas form the UK's densest cluster of hyperscale and wholesale data centre capacity. Major operators include Equinix, CyrusOne (now KKR), NTT, and Iron Mountain.

West London, Hayes & Stockley Park

This corridor is one of the fastest-growing data centre zones in the UK. VIRTUS Data Centres (owned by AustralianSuper) operates its flagship London campus here, and Colt DCS is expanding aggressively.

Central & North London

Central London hosts some of the UK's most established carrier-neutral facilities. New capacity is constrained by power availability, making existing sites increasingly valuable.

Hertfordshire & Thames Valley

NTT's Hemel Hempstead campus and facilities around Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage serve as secondary London markets with better power availability.

Recruiting for data centre projects in London & the South East? With VIRTUS LON8 under construction, Colt expanding in Hayes, and the Tritax Manor Farm campus breaking ground, the South East will need thousands of construction workers and hundreds of permanent operations staff through 2028. View live data centre jobs in London & the South East | See typical salaries for data centre engineers

Midlands Data Centre Locations

The Midlands is emerging as a significant secondary market, driven by HS2 connectivity improvements, lower land costs, and strong fibre links to both London and the North. Birmingham, Nottingham, and Northampton all host growing clusters of enterprise and colocation facilities.

Birmingham

Nottingham, Derby & Leicester

Northamptonshire & Bedfordshire

Recruiting for data centre projects in the Midlands? The region offers lower costs and improving connectivity, making it attractive for enterprise colocation and disaster recovery builds. View live data centre jobs in the Midlands | See typical salaries for data centre engineers

North West England Data Centre Locations

Manchester is the UK's second-largest data centre hub by capacity, with Equinix, UKFast (now ANS), LDeX, and Kao Data all operating or developing significant campuses. The region benefits from strong fibre connectivity to London and international submarine cable landing points in nearby Blackpool.

Manchester

Liverpool & Merseyside

Recruiting for data centre projects in the North West? Manchester's data centre market is expanding rapidly, with Kao Data's Stockport campus under construction and Equinix continuing to build out Trafford Park. The region will need hundreds of skilled engineers through 2028. View live data centre jobs in the North West | Manchester data centre jobs

North East England & Yorkshire Data Centre Locations

The North East is poised for explosive growth. The QTS Cambois megacampus in Northumberland — at 720 MW the largest data centre project in UK history — will transform the region's employment landscape. Leeds, Newcastle, and Sheffield all host established colocation facilities serving enterprise and public sector clients.

Leeds

Newcastle & Tyne and Wear

Yorkshire

Northumberland — Cambois Megacampus

The largest data centre development in UK history. Blackstone-backed QTS Realty Trust received planning approval for a 720 MW campus across 10 buildings at the former Cambois coal-fired power station site in Northumberland.

The Cambois campus represents a £10 billion investment and will be one of the largest data centre developments in Europe. At full build-out, the 10-building campus will deliver more capacity than the entire current Manchester market combined. The project will transform the North East's tech employment landscape.

Recruiting for data centre projects in the North East? With Stellium expanding in Newcastle and the QTS Cambois megacampus about to break ground, the North East is set to create thousands of construction and operations roles through 2030. View live data centre jobs in the North East | See typical salaries for data centre engineers

Wales Data Centre Locations

Wales punches well above its weight in the UK data centre market. NGD Newport (now operated by Vantage Data Centers) is one of the largest single data centre buildings in Europe. Cardiff hosts a growing cluster of facilities, and South Wales benefits from competitive energy costs and Atlantic submarine cable landing points.

Newport — Vantage / NGD

The NGD facility occupies a 750,000 sq ft building — one of the largest purpose-built data centres in Europe. Vantage Data Centers acquired the campus and is investing in further expansion to meet growing demand from hyperscale cloud providers.

Cardiff — Vantage Cardiff Campus

South Wales Connectivity

South Wales benefits from multiple Atlantic submarine cable landing points, providing direct connectivity to North America. Combined with lower energy costs than London (typically 15-20% cheaper) and Welsh Government incentives for data centre development, the region is increasingly attractive for hyperscale deployments. The 21 data centre facilities listed in the Cardiff market by industry databases reflect this growing momentum.

Recruiting for data centre projects in Wales? Vantage's ongoing expansion at both Newport and Cardiff means continuous demand for skilled engineers. View live data centre jobs in Wales | See typical salaries for data centre engineers

Scotland Data Centre Locations

Scotland's data centre market is growing steadily, driven by renewable energy availability (particularly wind and hydro), competitive land costs, and strong connectivity through Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Scottish Government actively supports data centre development as part of its digital economy strategy.

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Glenrothes & Cumnock

Smaller facilities in rural Scotland benefit from proximity to renewable energy generation and lower operating costs.

Recruiting for data centre projects in Scotland? Edinburgh and Glasgow are growing markets with strong demand for operations staff. View live data centre jobs in Scotland | See typical salaries for data centre engineers

Northern Ireland & Crown Dependencies

Belfast

Northern Ireland hosts a small but established data centre market, primarily serving local enterprise, public sector, and financial services clients.

Isle of Man

The Isle of Man's data centres serve niche financial services and gaming industry clients, benefiting from the island's regulatory environment and low-tax jurisdiction.

The Largest Data Centres in the UK

The table below ranks the UK's largest data centre facilities by MW IT load capacity. Note the distinction between operational capacity and planned/approved capacity — the QTS Cambois campus will be the UK's largest when complete but is not yet operational.

How many data centres are in the UK? Current industry databases track over 500 operational facilities across 80+ UK markets. London alone accounts for more than 200 of these. The total is growing rapidly — the construction pipeline through 2030 will add at least 30 new major facilities.

UK Data Centre Construction Pipeline: 2025–2030

No other guide tracks what is actually being built. This section covers every major UK data centre construction project by phase, from active builds to committed investment.

Under Construction (2026)

These projects have broken ground or are scheduled to begin construction in 2026.

Approved / Planning Stage

These projects have received planning approval or have submitted applications.

Announced / Committed Investment

These are publicly committed investment programmes from hyperscale and enterprise operators.

The total committed investment pipeline exceeds £50 billion — an unprecedented figure that will reshape UK data centre employment for the rest of the decade.

Policy context: The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 moved data centre projects above 50 MW into the NSIP regime. This cuts planning approval timelines from ~18 months to ~6 months. For recruitment, faster approvals mean faster build programmes and more urgent hiring. The construction workforce bottleneck, not planning, is now the primary constraint on delivery timelines.

Data Centre Jobs: What Each Build Phase Creates

Every data centre goes through three distinct employment phases. The roles needed, pay bands, and headcount vary dramatically between phases. This section breaks down the workforce requirements that each major facility creates — data no other UK data centre directory provides.

Construction Phase (Months 0–24)

Large campus builds (100+ MW) typically require 800–1,200 workers at peak. The QTS Cambois project estimates 1,200 construction workers per building phase.

Key roles during construction:

• Civil & Structural Engineers — Foundation, steel frame, concrete works
• M&E Contractors — Mechanical and electrical installation (HVAC, power distribution, UPS, generators)
• Electrical Engineers — HV/LV switchgear, busbar, transformer installation
• Project Managers — Client-side and contractor PMs overseeing programme delivery
• Quantity Surveyors — Cost management and procurement
• Health & Safety Managers — CDM compliance, site safety
• Commissioning Managers — Planning the commissioning programme during late construction

Typical contract day rates range from £350–£600 for engineers to £700–£1,000+ for senior project managers. See data centre construction recruitment services

Commissioning & Fit-Out Phase (Months 18–36)

As construction completes, commissioning teams move in to test and validate every system. This phase typically employs 200–400 specialists per major facility.

Key roles during commissioning:

• Critical Facilities Engineers — Testing UPS, generators, switchgear, cooling systems
• BMS Specialists — Building Management System programming and integration
• Low-Voltage Electricians — Final power distribution, PDU installation, cable management
• HVAC Engineers — CRAC/CRAH commissioning, airflow optimisation
• Fire Suppression Engineers — Gas suppression system testing and certification
• Network Engineers — Structured cabling, cross-connect, Meet-Me Room setup

Commissioning engineers are among the highest-paid specialists in the sector, with day rates of £400–£700 and permanent salaries of £55,000–£85,000. See critical facilities engineer roles

Operations Phase (Ongoing)

Once operational, a data centre employs permanent staff for the life of the facility — typically 20–30 years. A 100 MW+ campus typically sustains 150–500 permanent jobs.

Key roles in operations:

• Data Centre Technicians — Day-to-day facility operations, shift-based monitoring
• Facilities Managers — Overall site management, vendor coordination, budget control
• NOC Engineers — Network Operations Centre monitoring, incident response
• Security Staff — Physical security, access control, CCTV monitoring
• Electrical Engineers — Ongoing maintenance of HV/LV infrastructure
• Mechanical Engineers — Cooling system maintenance, energy optimisation
• Environmental / Sustainability Managers — PUE tracking, carbon reporting

Permanent operations salaries range from £28,000–£40,000 for technicians to £65,000–£95,000+ for facilities managers and senior engineers. See the full data centre engineer salary breakdown

UK Data Centre Locations: Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the largest data centres in the UK?

The largest operational data centre in the UK is NGD Newport in South Wales, operated by Vantage Data Centers, with 180 MW of IT load capacity in a 750,000 sq ft building. The VIRTUS Stockley Park portfolio in West London delivers over 300 MW across four facilities. When complete, the QTS Cambois Campus in Northumberland will be the UK's largest at 720 MW. See the full ranking above.

How many data centres are there in the UK?

The UK has over 500 operational data centre facilities spread across more than 80 markets. London alone hosts approximately 200 facilities. The total is growing rapidly — the construction pipeline through 2030 includes at least 30 major new facilities representing over 2 GW of additional capacity.

What is the largest data centre in the UK?

By operational capacity, NGD Newport (Vantage Data Centers) at 180 MW. By planned capacity, the QTS Cambois Campus in Northumberland at 720 MW will be the UK's — and one of Europe's — largest when it reaches full build-out. Construction is commencing in 2026 with Phase 1 delivery expected in 2028.

Why are so many data centres being built in the UK?

Four converging factors: (1) Surging demand from AI workloads and cloud migration, (2) Government support through CNI designation and NSIP planning fast-tracking, (3) Record investment commitments from Microsoft (£30bn), Google (£5bn), and Nvidia (£11bn), and (4) the UK's position as Europe's most connected market with strong talent, fibre infrastructure, and financial services demand.

What jobs do data centres create?

A large data centre campus (100+ MW) creates approximately 800–1,200 construction jobs during the build phase (18–24 months), 200–400 commissioning roles during fit-out, and 150–500 permanent operations jobs for the 20–30 year life of the facility. Key roles include M&E engineers, project managers, commissioning engineers, critical facilities engineers, data centre technicians, and facilities managers. Browse current data centre jobs

Which UK regions are best for data centre development?

London remains dominant for connectivity and financial services proximity, though power constraints are pushing growth outward. South Wales (Vantage Newport/Cardiff) offers low energy costs and Atlantic cable connectivity. The North East (QTS Cambois) has abundant land and power capacity for hyperscale builds. Manchester is the UK's second hub with strong fibre infrastructure. Scotland offers renewable energy and government incentives. Each region serves different use cases — London for latency-sensitive finance, Wales for cost-effective hyperscale, the North East for greenfield megacampus development.

About This Resource: Sources & Update Log

This guide is compiled and maintained by the URecruit Global research team. Data is sourced from:

• Operator websites and official announcements
• Planning applications and local authority records
• Data Centre Dynamics (DCD) annual reports
• Uptime Institute certification database
• ONS employment data and government press releases
• Industry press (Data Centre Magazine, BroadGroup, DatacenterHawk)

Update log:

• February 2026 — Initial publication. 80+ facilities mapped across 10 UK regions. Construction pipeline tracked through 2030. Jobs data estimated from planning applications and operator announcements.

This guide is updated quarterly. Next scheduled update: May 2026 (Q2). Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when new data centres and jobs figures are added.

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