For decades, resilience in the data centre industry has meant redundancy. But David Davies, datacentre specialist at engineering giant Arup, says that definition is becoming dangerously outdated.
The datacentre industry has spent decades preparing for equipment failure. But what happens when the greatest risks are completely unpredictable - extreme weather, water shortages, energy constraints and geopolitical instability? In this episode, Arup's David Davies argues that resilience must be redefined for a more uncertain future.
David discusses the growing impact of climate change on datacentre design, including the prospect of UK summer temperatures exceeding 45°C, the pressure that AI growth is placing on energy infrastructure, and the need to prepare for multiple disruptions occurring at the same time. He also explains why future-ready datacentres must be adaptable, integrated into broader energy systems and designed for continuous change rather than static operating conditions.
We also explore public attitudes to datacentres, community engagement, microgrids and the key questions IT leaders should ask providers about resilience.