The new educational resource gives communities clear, reviewed facts on what data centres are, how they work and why we need them to underpin our modern lives, in partnership with techUK and the DCA.
London, United Kingdom, 27th October 2026 – Kao Data, the specialist developer and operator of data centres engineered for AI and advanced computing, has today launched Data Centres Explained, a free educational resource providing factual and transparent information about data centres and the role they play in everyday life.
The new website, supported by Strategic Partners from leading technology industry trade associations techUK and Data Centre Alliance (DCA), is available at datacentresexplained.com, and clearly outlines what data centres are, why we need them and how they work, in simple, clear and easy-to-understand language.
Today data centres underpin every digital service that people rely on, including contactless payments, online banking, streaming, navigation apps, healthcare services and electronic patient records. Yet for many, they remain unfamiliar buildings, and as new developments come forward across the UK, communities and local residents rightly have questions about water, power, noise, traffic and construction. Data Centres Explained has been created to answer those questions openly and transparently.
Visitors can explore a data centre zone by zone, beginning in the data hall where servers and computers store and process the information behind digital apps and services. A dedicated ‘Questions Answered’ section tackles the topics communities raise most often, such as whether a data centre will affect water pressure or electricity bills, what backup generators are for and what happens during a power cut. A Construction and Local Impact section guides users through each stage of a development.
At the heart of the platform is a public question portal, where anyone can submit a question through the website, with answers added so the resource grows in line with what people genuinely want to know. All content is informed by official data and guidance, industry standards and technical experts, is checked before publication and reviewed as technologies and policy continue to develop.
“Data centres are the infrastructure behind the digital world, and play a pivotal role in modern life – they are as fundamental as our roads, water systems, railways and power lines,” said Spencer Lamb, CEO, Kao Data. “There is a lot of conflicting information about data centres and people deserve clear and honest answers about what these buildings are, how they work and what they mean for the places they live.”
Matt Evans, COO of techUK added, “Data centres have only recently moved into the public eyeline and like most new infrastructure assets, they are often misunderstood. Data Centres Explained is exactly the type of open and clear engagement that help us all understand the role that they play in our lives.”
“Data Centres Explained is an important step towards building public trust through greater transparency, addressing the questions communities genuinely care about and replacing speculation with understanding,” said Venessa Moffat, Managing Director, Data Centre Alliance.
Kao Data is now calling on its peers across the data centre sector to support the initiative. Operators, engineers, suppliers, planners and sustainability specialists are invited to contribute their expertise by answering public questions within their own fields, with each answer credited to the expert who provides it.