"In 2024, data centre investment volumes soared to new heights, driven by the rapid adoption of AI, cloud computing, and digitalisation across industries. "

"It’s no secret that the UK grid is overwhelmed, oversubscribed and outdated. The grid has not developed in line with our need for more electricity, evolving technologies and drive towards renewable energy infrastructure."

"The European AI market will reach €76.5bn this year, up by 25.9% compared to 2023, and then show an annual growth rate of 15.9% until 2030. The expanding footprint of AI applications is ushering in a paradigm shift within the realm of data centres."

"As energy stands as the backbone of data centre operations, the industry finds itself grappling with mounting pressure and constraints imposed on the electricity grid. This challenge presents an intricate dilemma since it is poised to persist in the foreseeable future."

"The imperative to address sustainability within the data centre realm has never been more pressing. In spite of the impressive 'greening' improvements made by the industry over the past decade, customers, regulators and investors are increasingly demanding greater sustainability efforts."

"Twenty submarine cables, accounting for 10% of the existing infrastructure, are due for completion by 2027. This will add roughly 150,000 kilometres of cables to the European network."

"Construction costs for a data centre increased by 6.5%, reaching an average of $9.1m per MW (€8.4m) across Europe. Zurich is still the most expensive market in Europe."

"In 2023, the global data centre M&A market experienced a slight decline in value, totalling $36.6bn. However, with its mission-critical role and strong customer dependency inherent to the sector, data centres appear well-positioned to weather uncertainties."