UK Designates Data Centers as Critical Infrastructure to Enhance Cybersecurity

The U.K. has designated data centers as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), a status previously reserved for sectors like energy and defense. This move aims to strengthen cybersecurity and improve coordination between data center operators and the government. Peter Kyle, the British Technology Minister, highlighted the crucial role data centers play in the digital economy and personal data protection.

This CNI designation enables data center operators to communicate directly with the government, enhancing readiness against cyber threats. It marks the first time a new sector has received CNI status in nearly a decade.

Simultaneously, the U.K. approved a £3.75 billion ($4.9 billion) project by DC01UK to construct Europe's largest data center in Hertfordshire. This initiative is expected to create over 700 local jobs and support 13,740 data and tech positions. Amazon's AWS division also announced an £8 billion ($10.45 billion) investment in U.K. data centers over the next five years.

Data centers are essential to cloud computing, enabling the delivery of internet services via remote servers. Their outages can cause widespread disruptions, as seen in a recent global IT outage triggered by a faulty software update from CrowdStrike.

The U.K. plans further cybersecurity enhancements, including a new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to protect essential IT infrastructure supply chains.