Stay up to date with the latest news articles quoting Asanti.
Our CRO, Cathal Griffin has been quoted in Computer Weekly’s article which explores the Labour Party’s election manifesto on data centre planning reform. Pledging to reform planning rules for data centres and aiming to classify them as “nationally significant infrastructure projects”, could fast-track approvals and stimulate economic growth.
Whilst this is really positive for our industry, as you’ll see from Cathal’s comments in the article, we feel that it’s essential to balance future developments with the environment.
“Until we have exhausted all the brownfield and decommissioned industrial sites, there may not even be a need to look to greenbelt in the short to medium term.”…….. “We should be backing the upgrades to the national grid to make green power source connections easier and faster. The current wait time is four years.”
Discover more insights on this critical topic by visiting Computer Weekly’s latest article.
Our CRO, Cathal Griffin is quoted in Raconteur’s article which explores data centre activism in the UK – a growing concern for environmentalists linked to generative AI and new data centre builds taking place on greenbelt land.
Cathal Griffin, chief revenue officer at data centre provider Asanti, agrees, adding: “Until we have exhausted all the brownfield and decommissioned industrial sites, there may be no need to look to the greenbelt.” He points to sites such as the ex-nuclear power station in Dounreay as potential candidates for brownfield development.
“The real issue is how we power new data centres,” he says. “While there’s red tape and restrictions around where developers can build, it’s insignificant compared with the red tape around using private wires for green energy.”
A couple of weeks ago, we had the privilege of welcoming Sarah Montague from BBC 4’s World at One programme to our Farnborough data centre to discuss the vital role data centres play in supporting the UK’s modern economy. In an in-depth conversation with our Chief Revenue Officer, Cathal Griffin, we explored the rising demand for data storage, the complexities surrounding energy consumption and the future challenges of AI.
If you didn’t catch the interview on Thursday 17th October, visit the BBC website.
Over 67% of IT decision makers now blend public cloud with on-premise solutions. Unexpected costs, security challenges and slow data transfer are key factors cited in cloud migration struggles.
Research shows that 67% of IT decision makers favour a hybrid hosting infrastructure over a ‘cloud-first’ strategy and 94% of businesses using public cloud would take a different approach to migration, given the challenges they have faced when moving to the public cloud.
The report, commissioned by Asanti, one of the UK’s leading colocation data centre providers, and conducted by VansonBourne, indicates that many organisations now view blending public cloud with on-premise solutions as the optimal approach to managing IT infrastructure.
Find out more about our founder and CEO, Stewart Laing, including where his big career break came, to what he would do with £1m.
What the datacentre industry would like to see from the government’s planning reforms
How can datacentre policy and planning reform better reflect the criticality of both energy and data?
Cathal Griffin, chief revenue officer at colocation provider Asanti, affirms a need to “join the dots”, stating that planning reform should look holistically at building permissions, grid connections and beyond, such as ensuring key links with communities that support sustainable choices such as heat reuse and waste minimisation.
Over the last ten years a “Cloud First” approach to IT infrastructure has become the default choice, promising scalability, flexibility, and cost efficiency. Both public and private sector organisations embraced the public cloud for its quick setup and global accessibility, making it the backbone of digital transformation strategies.
However, our recent research reveals a growing shift away from this approach. A striking 52% of organisations now plan to host and deliver their AI applications on-premise or through colocation facilities rather than relying solely on the public cloud.
This movement is fuelled by three primary needs that the cloud often struggles to meet for AI workloads: real-time processing capabilities, control and security.
Cost is often cited as one of the public cloud’s main selling points, especially given the minimal initial capital expenditure. However, our research reveals that 77 per cent of IT decision makers found their operating costs in the public cloud were higher than expected, and 63 per cent reported that these expenses outweighed those of their previous non-cloud models. The subscription costs can become unwieldy, especially as businesses scale and require more storage.
As we look towards 2025, the UK’s data centre industry is undergoing unprecedented transformation. Rapid technological advancements, sustainability demands and shifting business strategies are reshaping the sector. From addressing the rise of AI to adapting to stricter regulations, as well as stiff competition from European counterparts, UK providers are facing challenges that demand both innovation and collaboration. Taking into account these critical challenges, Stewart Laing, founder and CEO at Asanti Data Centres explores the key areas set to dominate the UK data centre agenda in the coming year
Research has shown that 67% of IT decision-makers favour a hybrid hosting infrastructure over a ‘cloud-first’ strategy and 94% of
businesses using public cloud would take a different approach to migration,
given the challenges they have faced when moving to the public cloud.
The report, commissioned by Asanti,
one of the UK’s leading colocation
data centre providers, and conducted
by VansonBourne, indicates that many
organisations now view blending
public cloud with on-premise solutions
as the optimal approach to managing
IT infrastructure.
Could 2025 be a defining year for data centres? That’s certainly the opinion of Stewart Laing, CEO of Asanti Data Centres, who explores what he thinks will be the big themes this year.
When the BBC’s World at One team visited our Farnborough data centre in October, we talked at length about the vital role data centres play in the UK’s digital future. Our conversation touched on everything from the growing demand for data storage to the complexities of energy consumption and the emerging challenges presented by (artificial intelligence) AI.
There’s no doubt that 2025 will be a defining year for the UK’s data centre market and as we stand on the brink of unprecedented change, we, the UK data centre industry, need to tackle some pressing challenges to ensure our industry delivers on the growth predictions we are seeing.
Our CRO Cathal Griffin was once again invited by the BBC’s World at One team to share his thoughts on the governments recent AI announcements.
Headline grabbing or is there any substance to the governments plans. Tune in to find out.
Cathal’s interview is around minute 13.
Asanti House, 4 Lister Way, Blantyre
Glasgow, G72 0FT
Asanti House, 4 Lister Way, Blantyre, Glasgow, G72 0FT
