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THE 2013 CENSUS – UK FIGURESThe 2013 DatacenterDynamics Industry Census provides an updated picture of the current state and development of the UK data center industry.

The Census covers a range of topics, including white space deployment trends, power consumption and investment in data center technologies.

Here we examine some of the findings related to white space, power consumption and monitoring

White space deploymentIn 2013, the amount of data center white

space continued to decline in the UK,

although at a slower rate compared

with the previous year. The amount of

end user data center space which is

owned in-house shrank by just over

5% in 2013, compared with a decline

of over 10% in 2012. This trend was

partly compensated by an increase in

the volume of data center space that is

outsourced to a specialist provider.

To a large extent, trends in white space

deployment reflect developments in

the UK economy. Recent decline in the

amount of in-house data center space

has been highest in the ICT, finance and

public administration sectors and reflects

the impact of facility consolidation and

corporate rationalization, as well as

the introduction of ‘space-saving’ IT

architectures.

Going into 2014, the UK data center

industry is expected to see positive

growth in the volume of new white space

deployed. The amount of in-house data

center space will see positive growth as

some organizations expand their data

center space and others curtail their

recent round of consolidation. However,

the growth rate for in-house data center

space will be gradual compared with

that of outsourced space. By 2016, 28%

of all data center space is expected

to be outsourced compared with

23% in 2013.

The long-term growth of the UK data

center sector partly depends on the

country’s ability to offer a favorable

environment for inward investment.

The UK sector is already one of the

world’s largest recipients of external

DCD Industry Census 2013: UK

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

201320122011

mill

ion

m2

0.700.75

2.95

0.84

2.803.30

Graph 1: UK Data Center White Space, 2011-13 (million m2)

Key

Colo/shared/outsourced End user In-house

Media & telecommunications

2.40 GW

0.70 GW

IT services

Professional services

380MW

150MW

100MW

165MW

340MW

295MW

525MW

275MW

165MW

Energy & utilities

Industrial & process

Public administration

Banking & financial services

Healthcare

Retail & personal services

Colo/shared/outsourced End user in-house

Graph 3: Total Power Requirement (Inner Pie) /

Power Demand by Industry Sector (Outer Pie)

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2013 20163.10GW

3.68GW

Graph 2: Power Requirement 2013-2016

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data center investment. However, future

growth will depend on the mixture of

factors which encourage multinationals

to locate there.

Data center power requirements

The power requirement of the UK data

center industry grew by an estimated

8.8% in 2013 to reach 3.10GW. Total

consumption was up from 2.85GW in

2012. The sectors most responsible

for driving the growing demand for

data center power in the UK are the

industry and manufacturing sectors, as

well as banking and financial services,

healthcare and telecoms and media.

Of the total 2013 power requirement,

700MW related to outsourced facilities.

This was up from 650MW in 2012.

In the five years to 2016, total power

demand from UK data centers is

predicted to grow at an average annual

rate of 6.4%, with the total requirement

now set to reach 3.68GW in 2016.

Despite this, the latter part of the decade

is likely to see growth start to plateau,

as the use of more energy efficient data

center technologies becomes more

widespread.

Steady growth in the demand for data

center power continues to encourage

increased monitoring by end users of

energy consumption habits. In 2013,

62% of end users monitored energy

efficiency on a continuous basis, up

from 55% in 2012.

However, despite the increased concern

with improving energy efficiency, UK

data center operators remain much less

concerned about carbon emissions. In

2013, 21.5% of end users said they never

monitor carbon emissions, compared

with 6.5% who say they never monitor

energy efficiency. Moreover, there

appears to be little change over the

past year in the proportion of end users

who monitor carbon emissions on a

continuous or occasional basis.

Nevertheless, the UK remains within the

top group of countries globally in terms

of the percentage of organizations

which monitor carbon emissions on

either a continuous or occasional

basis. Furthermore, over the time the

proportion of organizations monitoring

carbon emissions is expected to rise.

Although concerns about the impact of

energy costs on data center operations

remain widespread, there appears to

have been a change in the degree of

end user concern.

When asked about the extent to which

energy costs are a concern, 36%

of respondents expressed concern

that energy costs would significantly

impact their data center operations

over the next 12 months. This figure

was down from 56% of respondents in

the 2011 Census. However, the number

of respondents who are moderately

concerned has risen from 37% in 2011

to 53% in the latest Census. Changes

in the degree of concern could reflect

improved optimism about the state of

the UK economy. It could also reflect

the spread of energy monitoring

techniques and the use of more energy

efficient technologies. n

DCD Industry Census 2013: UK

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

2012 2013 2012 2013

Energy E�ciency Carbon Emissions

55.0%

62.0%

37.0% 36.0% 37.0%

31.5%

42.0% 42.5%

8.0% 6.5%

21.0% 21.5%

Graph 4: Monitoring Energy Efficiency and Carbon Emissions, 2012-13 (% of respondents)

Key

Continuously

Occassionally

Never

36%

53%

11%

Graph 5: Concern about Impact of Energy Costs on Operations over Next 12 Months (% of respondents)

Key

Significant impact

Moderate impact

Slight or no impact

In the five years to 2016, total

power demand from UK data centers

is predicted to grow at an average

annual rate of 6.4%, with the

total requirement now set to

reach 3.68GW in 2016

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