By Steve Davidson

Powering the AI boom

Data centres have evolved rapidly from basic storage hubs for emails and video to sprawling, multi-billion-pound facilities powering the explosive growth of artificial intelligence. You might picture data centres as a big shed full of servers out in the sticks, but these once-overlooked facilities are now integral to how we work, communicate and live; in the UK, they’ve been designated as critical infrastructure.

The demand for data is rising at an astronomical rate, particularly due to AI becoming increasingly embedded in business and day-to-day life. People now often turn to ChatGPT with the kinds of questions they once Googled – but did you know a single AI prompt can consume around 10 times more processing power than a typical web search? AI’s ever-growing prevalence, from the chatbot in your pocket to self-driving cars, is fuelling unprecedented change in the design and operation of data centres globally.

Responding to rapid technological change

Keeping up with the incredible pace of change in this sector is a huge challenge. The technology is advancing so quickly that buildings can struggle to keep up with the equipment they’re meant to house; I’ve seen facilities that were designed 18 months ago no longer fit for purpose.

That’s where Robert Bird Group comes in. By getting us involved from the start, we can design the most future-proof solution. We excel at staying nimble and adapting to whatever comes next. That stems from our innovative engineering approach, applying first-principles thinking and a flexible, problem-solving mindset. We make our designs as robust as possible so that whatever the next breakthrough looks like, we’re ready.

Adaptive reuse

Repurposing existing facilities is a key opportunity we should be exploring. Many data centres are only five to ten years old, yet rapid advancements in server technology and cooling demands have already rendered them outdated. It doesn’t sit right with me to demolish these buildings if there’s another option. Rather than knocking it down and starting again, is there a way to repurpose it? I have a saying: “The best building for the site is the one that’s already there”.

It’s not always straightforward. It takes the right people with the right skills, but when it works, the payoff is huge in terms of sustainability and embodied carbon. With multidisciplinary experience across sectors, we apply our proven engineering strategies to the data centre environment. Early involvement in the design process enables us to assess whether a facility can be feasibly adapted, which in many cases it can. Our message is simple: get us in to take a look – we might have a better solution.

Edge data centres

A significant emerging trend is the development of smaller, decentralised ‘edge’ data centres that sit closer to end users. These are critical to enabling technologies such as autonomous vehicles, drones and smart city infrastructure.

This shift will see data centres increasingly integrated into urban environments. In future, planning regulations may well require new developments to include space allocated for data processing in much the same way they currently require substations. These edge facilities could even contribute waste heat to support on-site heating or sustainability initiatives, improving commercial and environmental outcomes for mixed-use buildings.

Designing for cooling, coordination and resilience

To meet ever-increasing power requirements, server hardware is becoming smaller, denser and more powerful, meaning it generates significantly more heat. This makes cooling one of the key data centre design challenges. Our approach focuses on coordination with M&E engineers from the outset, designing structures that allow for efficient routing of ventilation, cabling and ducting, both now and into the future.

We aim to build in a level of robustness that provides flexibility for future upgrades or reconfigurations. This is especially important for co-location centres, where partial occupation limits the scope of retrofit works. Minimising disruption while maintaining full operation is a key engineering constraint.

Modular solutions and off-site construction

To meet rising demand while improving delivery efficiency and sustainability, we are increasingly adopting prefabricated and modular construction methods. Key components such as generators, switchgear and racks can be manufactured in controlled environments and delivered ready for installation.

This approach accelerates construction, improves quality and reduces emissions during delivery. Full prefabrication of entire facilities remains unlikely due to environmental exposure and complexity, but modular internals represent a strong opportunity for streamlining projects.

Meeting future power demands

When we think about the next generation of data centres, there is a crucial question: how do we meet the massive power requirements, sustainably? According to the International Energy Agency, a single AI data centre can use as much electricity as 100,000 homes, with the largest facilities currently under construction expected to consume up to 20 times that amount.[1] I believe the most promising long-term solution is small modular reactors (SMRs).

SMRs are compact nuclear power systems designed to be manufactured off-site and assembled on location. Unlike traditional large-scale reactors, they can be deployed in a wider range of settings and tailored to local energy needs. They use fission technology, which delivers low-carbon, high-output energy reliably and safely. Already being trialled around the world, SMRs could soon provide a stable, scalable and sustainable power source for future data infrastructure, and may even enable the reuse of existing nuclear material.

Looking to the future

We now have a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of engineering in a sector that is evolving faster than almost any other. Within the space of a few years, data centres have suddenly gone from a quiet, niche sector to the thing on everyone’s lips, indispensable to how we live and work.

Whether we’re exploring SMRs, rethinking design principles, or accelerating modular construction, it’s a space full of complex challenges and real impact. We’re working alongside some of the best in the world to solve these problems, and that’s a privilege. The SMR conversation in particular has the potential to transform how we power our planet. The technology has existed for decades, and now we have a chance to harness it properly. Helping to lead that charge is one of the most exciting parts of the work we do.

[1] IEA (2025), Energy and AI, IEA, Paris https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai, Licence: CC BY 4.0