When considering hosting services for Government applications an often contentious discussion is about the concept of ‘Sovereign Cloud‘.
In short this refers to the physical location and also national ownership of the data centres and service providers.
The concerns are this dictates how sensitive data and operations remain within the jurisdiction and under the control of that country’s laws and regulations.
The tier one Cloud providers like AWS have tailored their services for the public sector, enabling governments to also adopt these same innovation capabilities and accelerated rates of deployment. AWS operates dedicated Cloud regions for public sector organizations, their ‘GovCloud’ services, dedicated regions that adhere to stringent security and compliance requirements.
AWS says that this ensures this meets the sovereignty needs of regions such as the EU, however others argue that simply using AWS is contrary to the national objectives of governments.
UK Sovereign Cloud
The rise of Sovereign Cloud services in the UK signifies a shift towards more secure and compliant cloud solutions that prioritize data protection and sovereignty. By leveraging these services, businesses and government entities can enhance their cybersecurity posture, mitigate risks, and ensure regulatory compliance in an increasingly data-driven world.
For the UK’s AI sector, leveraging ‘Sovereign Cloud’ hosting offers several key benefits:
- Enhanced Data Security: By hosting AI applications and data on ‘Sovereign Cloud’ platforms, organizations can mitigate security risks and ensure sensitive information is protected.
- Compliance with Regulations: Data protection laws and regulations vary across regions. Utilizing ‘Sovereign Cloud’ hosting helps AI companies in the UK comply with local data governance requirements.
- Reduced Latency: Hosting AI workloads on local ‘Sovereign Cloud’ servers can minimize latency, ensuring faster processing speeds and improved performance.
- Promoting Innovation: Access to secure and compliant cloud infrastructure fosters a conducive environment for AI research and development, driving innovation in the UK. Secure cloud environments facilitate collaboration among AI researchers, enabling the sharing of insights and advancements in the field.
Writing on Linkedin Simon Hansford describes how Sovereign Clouds are especially critical to the UK’s economic and technology objectives.
In today’s digital age, the importance of data sovereignty, security, and legal jurisdiction cannot be overstated. As the UK continues to embrace cloud computing, ensuring that our data is stored and processed in compliance with national laws is crucial.
Data Centre Magazine writes that the UK government is gearing up for massive data centre growth, with Labour planning policies to drive major investment into the sector.
As reported here US firms CyrusOne, ServiceNow, Cloud HQ and CoreWeave announced the UK will be the home for their data infrastructure worth a total of £6.3 billion, with Technology Secretary Peter Kyle welcoming the ‘vote of confidence’ in Britain.
AI Data Centres
The exploding market for AI computing capacity has massively accelerated the sector and it’s importance, driving up demand and creating a large market shortage and thus opportunity.
The trend is fuelling a massive investment into the sector. The growth of AI creates unprecedented demand for global data centers, and Data Centers are the new Billion-Dollar AI Gamble. The world’s largest private equity firm, Blackstone, is setting its eyes on AI data centers, and it is on a quest to become the country’s most sought-after landlord to Big Tech and the world’s biggest by power capacity.
This demand will drive growth in component part industries, like this power capacity. For example nuclear energy has been a hot topic in investors’ minds after Microsoft (MSFT) and Constellation Energy (CEG) announced an agreement to restore a dormant nuclear power plant to power the tech company’s AI and cloud data centers.
With the growing demands of AI, data center storage capacity is expected to grow from 10.1 zettabytes in 2023 to 21.0 ZB in 2027. Generative AI’s greater energy requirements – ranging from 300 to 500+ megawatts – will also require more energy efficient designs and locations.
UK entrepreneurs are prosecuting this opportunity, notably the news that Nscale has raised $155 million in Series A funding – one of the largest Series A rounds in UK/European history.
Speaking with the DCS podcast Danny Quinn discusses how DataVita is charging ahead with a new focus on being Scotland’s leading provider of AI-ready data centres and launching the National Cloud, delivering tailored services for workloads prioritising data sovereignty.
