Data centres are essential to our digital world, powering everything from cloud computing to artificial intelligence.
As the use of AI continues to grow, the demand for data centre capacity has surged, driven by the immense computational and storage needs of generative AI models. Europe’s data centre market is experiencing strong demand, particularly in cities like Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin.
The rapid demand for data centres has revealed several challenges, including limited availability of land for future development, the need for reliable power, cooling systems and local opposition. Developers must navigate complexities such as securing land, upgrading infrastructure and ensuring scalability, all while maintaining global connectivity.
Power supply is often considered a significant constraint, with many European locations lacking the necessary infrastructure. However, the growth of London’s data centre market, the second largest in the world, was driven more by fibre connectivity than power. The Slough corridor, for example, emerged because high speed fibre was laid west out of the city to establish a direct connection between the London and New York Stock Exchanges.
Governments are now recognising the rising importance of data centres to driving economic growth. In the UK, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner intervened in February to overrule two data centre applications rejected by local authorities, including a 65,000 sq m (700,000 sq ft) facility in Iver, Buckinghamshire.
This facility was proposed by Corscale, the vertically integrated data centre platform of Mountpark’s owner, Affinius Capital LLC. Corscale specialises in developing and operating sustainable, large-scale data centre facilities designed specifically to meet the demands of today’s digital economy. The integration between Mountpark’s expertise in industrial development and Corscale’s data centre expertise creates a powerful synergy for addressing the critical infrastructure needs in this sector.
In a letter on Rayner’s behalf, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook noted that the Iver project would “make a significant contribution” to meeting the UK’s demand for data centres, emphasising that “failure to meet this need could have significant negative consequences for the UK’s digital economy.” This governmental support reflects the economic significance of data centre infrastructure.
Leading Big Tech companies are driving unprecedented investment in AI and its associated infrastructure requirements with Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta forecasting more than $320bn investment in 2025*. Having successfully delivered several logistics properties for Amazon, most recently a fulfilment centre in France, Mountpark’s team understands the evolving operational requirements of the sector.
As adoption for cloud computing increases and AI workloads grow more complex, it’s clear as a developer that data centres must be flexible and scalable, supporting both AI and traditional cloud capacities. Property specification such as high-density racking, high-voltage power systems and the ability to redistribute power and cooling are required to meet AI’s immense processing needs.
At Mountpark, the team are also mindful of the next emerging technologies. Quantum computing could be integrated into data centres within the next decade, drastically increasing power demands and requiring cryogenic cooling systems to deliver the extremely cold environment quantum processors require to operate. It’s important that new data centres are responsibly developed to ensure they can accommodate these future advances and are sustainable properties for the long term.
Mountpark recognises the critical role of data centres in supporting the global digital economy. With an extensive and diverse land bank it is uniquely positioned to identify and create powered land solutions that meet the sector’s evolving needs. Data centre customers can utilise Mountpark’s build-to-suit services or, via Affinius’ affiliation with Corscale, can leverage in-house experts to manage the entire development process from site selection and power enablement to leasing and operations. This strategic approach allows Mountpark to capitalise on the growing demand for AI-driven infrastructure while delivering long-term value to clients.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, data centres will remain the epicentre of technological advancements. With a focus on flexibility, sustainability and efficiency, the data centre industry is poised to drive the next generation of innovation, fuelling the growth of AI and the broader digital economy. Securing well-located land with scalable power capacity is critical to supporting the growth of this sector and Mountpark is proud to leverage its diverse land bank to enable the delivery of this future-proofed infrastructure.
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