Durata: UK Must Match AI Data Centre Ambition With Execution

The UK's ambition to become an AI superpower is well established. But ambition, as John McGee argues, is only half the equation. 

As Group CEO of Durata, a data centre business with its UK base in the North East of England and an active international footprint, John believes the country's path to AI leadership runs directly through physical infrastructure: power, planning and industrial delivery. 

In this exclusive Q&A with Data Centre Magazine, John says the UK already possesses the engineering capability and technical expertise to compete at a global level. 

What it lacks is the coordinated, fast-moving environment needed to put that capability to work at scale. The question, he says, is not whether the UK can do it. It is whether it will move quickly enough. 

How would you characterise the UK's current position in the AI infrastructure race?

There is no shortage of political enthusiasm when it comes to artificial intelligence. Ministers talk about the UK becoming an AI superpower, attracting investment, leading innovation and unlocking productivity across the economy. It is an ambition that reflects where the world is heading.

But becoming a leader in AI is not just a technology challenge. It is an infrastructure challenge. Much of the conversation still treats AI as though it exists primarily in the digital realm, as if leadership will be secured through software and talent alone.

In reality, AI is built on physical systems. It depends on data centres, resilient power, advanced cooling and the ability to deliver complex projects at speed. Without that foundation, ambition alone will not carry us very far.

What gives you confidence that the UK can meet this challenge?

Building this foundation of physical systems is the reality the UK needs to address. Not because the digital infrastructure opportunity is out of reach, but because the conditions to realise it need to be strengthened quickly.

From my perspective in the data centre sector, the fundamentals are encouraging. 

The UK has the engineering capability, industrial base and technical expertise required to support the next wave of digital infrastructure. We know how to design, build and deliver. 

What needs to improve is the environment in which that delivery happens.

How has AI specifically changed the demands placed on data centre infrastructure?

AI is already driving one of the fastest infrastructure expansions in modern history. 

The computing intensity of AI workloads has transformed what is required from data centres, with significantly higher power densities and far greater demands on electrical and cooling systems. This is a structural shift, not an incremental one, and it places energy and infrastructure at the centre of the AI conversation.

That is where the UK faces its biggest challenge, but also its biggest opportunity. 

If we are serious about supporting AI at scale, we need dependable power that can be accessed in commercially viable timeframes.

What specifically needs to change on the energy and grid side?

Strengthening grid capacity, accelerating connections and aligning energy strategy with digital growth. Without that, progress will be slower than it needs to be. However, this is not a question of capability. It is a question of pace and coordination.

Across the industry, there is a strong supply chain ready to deliver. 

The UK has businesses with the expertise to design, manufacture and deploy advanced data centre infrastructure, including modular solutions that can significantly accelerate build times and improve efficiency. These approaches are already being used internationally, proving that the capability exists and can compete at a global level.

What does that industrial capability look like on the ground?

I see that first-hand in the North East of England, where we have our UK base and where there is a strong industrial heritage and highly capable workforce, but the same is true across the country. 

Businesses like ours operate internationally, delivering projects in markets where demand is moving quickly. The opportunity for the UK is to create the conditions that allow that capability to scale domestically as well.

Where is the system currently falling short?

At present, the UK risks being held back not by a lack of ambition, but by fragmentation between policy, planning and infrastructure delivery.

Projects take time to approve, power connections take time to secure and the overall system does not always move at the speed required by the market. In contrast, other regions, particularly the US, are moving faster, with more accessible energy and more streamlined delivery environments.

That does not mean the UK cannot compete. It means we need to be more deliberate in how we align policy with delivery. This is ultimately about recognising AI infrastructure as a national priority.

How should policymakers approach this more holistically?

Power, planning and industrial capability need to be considered together, not in isolation. That includes being realistic about energy strategy. Clean energy has a central role to play, but so does ensuring that sufficient, reliable capacity is available in the near term to support growth.

There are viable pathways. Investment in grid infrastructure, faster connection processes and a balanced approach to energy generation can unlock significant capacity. Technologies such as small modular reactors may form part of the long-term solution, while modular data centre delivery can accelerate deployment in the short term.

What is your final message to politicians and industry leaders?

The key is momentum because the industry is ready and demand is already here. What is needed now is a delivery environment that matches that pace.

The risk otherwise is that the UK talks about leadership while others build it. But the opportunity remains firmly within reach. With the right decisions, the UK can combine its strengths in engineering, manufacturing and innovation to support a globally competitive AI infrastructure ecosystem.

If we are serious about becoming an AI superpower, we need to match ambition with execution. That means prioritising energy, streamlining delivery and backing the sectors that can turn demand into real, scalable infrastructure. The UK has the capability. The question is whether we can create the conditions to fully realise it.