Lighting up the data centre market
The UK data centre market is forecast to reach £32 billion by 2030, opening new opportunities across the M&E supply chain. Richard Williams, Head of Strategic Projects at Whitecroft Lighting, explains why lighting these vast, highly secure and operationally critical sites calls for specialist knowledge, proven solutions and the capacity to deliver at scale.
The UK construction industry is no stranger to mega structures and huge investment, but few sectors can match the current scale, pace and complexity of data centre development. Worth around £13.5 billion in 2024, the UK market is projected to reach £32 billion by 2030 – that’s more than three times NHS England’s current £10 billion capital investment budget.
Growing demand for this critical infrastructure is creating opportunities across the construction supply chain, and Whitecroft estimates the UK data centre lighting market will more than double over the next five years, reaching around £130 million by 2030. That would give data centres a 14% share of the UK commercial lighting market, eclipsing the more established office space, entertainment and leisure, and education markets. Artificial intelligence (AI) and growing device connectivity are driving the boom, generating vast amounts of data that require secure processing and storage. With demand outstripping supply, the UK and Europe are rapidly expanding capacity.
A unique lighting challenge
The UK government has classified data centres as critical infrastructure, affording them significant fast-tracking planning advantages. However, because of their size and energy demand, they face an unprecedented need for grid connections, land, renewables and water for cooling.
Against these challenges, more traditional construction demands, such as M&E and lighting, can seem relatively straightforward. As a result, developers often stick with the manufacturers and supply chain they know, with decisions driven by risk mitigation and operational continuity. Yet as the supply chain matures, and suppliers seek competitive advantage, manufacturers are innovating to meet the demands of these unique environments.
Operational resilience
First and foremost, lighting must support data centre operational resilience to ensure 99.999% uptime, as even a few seconds of disruption can be catastrophic. Reliable, high quality illumination supported by emergency lighting and central battery systems is therefore integral to the broader resilience strategy. This enables engineers to monitor equipment, identify faults and perform maintenance safely during a power failure, while keeping escape routes properly illuminated. While much emphasis is placed on the critical white space, or data halls, a data centre campus encompasses a much broader range of indoor and outdoor lighting.
Such is the breadth and diversity of lighting required, a single source supplier will most likely have to be an established manufacturer with experience in complex infrastructure. Whitecroft Lighting’s single source data centre proposition has evolved from increasing involvement in sensitive large-scale, critical infrastructure projects. These include Manchester Airport’s recent flagship Terminal 2, and supplying the first LED lighting to meet UK nuclear energy standards at Hinkley Point C. Both projects benefited from Whitecroft’s secure UK manufacturing.
Lighting a data centre campus
A full data centre lighting solution needs to include the following:
White spaces – data halls
Data halls can exceed thousands of square metres, so lighting should illuminate both horizontal and vertical surfaces, giving technicians the visibility needed to install, inspect and repair specific servers. Lighting layouts in these areas are typically uniform, and preassembled trunking that’s ready for plug and play installation can save the M&E contractor significant time on installation when compared with the more common component form lighting trunking systems.
Grey spaces – administration areas
Grey space lighting, such as workspace lighting and corridors, typically accounts for 60–70% of the data centre building, and workplace lighting should meet recommended EN 12464 standards.
Emergency lighting and back-up systems
Given the focus on resilience, emergency systems, central battery systems and back-up power must support safe evacuation and urgent repairs during an outage.
External lighting
Externally, lighting is required for perimeter fencing, CCTV, roads, car parks, entrances, generator compounds, assembly points and escape routes. Lighting controls can also support scheduled security patrols, while wireless connected systems should meet recognised cybersecurity requirements, including ISO 27001 and the EU Radio Equipment Directive.
Sustainability
Despite the fact lighting consumes far less power when compared to processing and cooling systems, lighting energy efficiency is still relevant. However, a bigger consideration for specifiers is lighting that minimises any contribution to the heat load, so efficient, low heat luminaires are crucial. Energy usage can also be minimised through intelligent lighting controls that ensure lighting operates only when and where it is needed.
Finally, with hyperscale data centres needing huge volumes of building materials, circularity and end-of-life waste minimisation are becoming increasingly important, with operators demanding longer product lifespans. This can be achieved by sourcing lighting systems that are circular by design, using less plastic and fewer virgin materials, and incorporating modularised elements that can be replaced and upgraded. Over the lifespan of a large facility, this can save thousands of tonnes of waste.
Built for the opportunity
In June this year the government announced that the UK’s AI economy had attracted £6 billion in new investment, as part of London Tech Week, highlighting the scale of its ambition for the sector. For lighting manufacturers, we understand that this presents an exciting opportunity, but we know that the rewards will not be shared equally.
Successful manufacturers will need to demonstrate the technical knowledge, production capacity and security credentials to deliver complete, resilient lighting packages across increasingly complex data centre campuses. Those who can combine proven solutions with speed, consistency and the know-how to deliver at scale will be best placed to light the next generation of the UK’s digital infrastructure.
