Data Centres: The Backbone of Our Society
Watch the episode on YouTube right here!
If you read the headlines, you might think data centres are the problem.
They use energy.
They take up space.
They create “just a few jobs.”
They’re described as grey, windowless boxes that quietly sit in industrial zones, consuming power and giving little back.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
If you switched them off tomorrow, modern society would end.
In our latest podcast episode, we sat down with Merima Dzanic Chief Operating Officer at the Danish Data Centre Industry, to discuss one of the most misunderstood sectors in construction and infrastructure today.
The conversation wasn’t defensive. It was clarifying. Because data centres aren’t optional real estate. They are critical infrastructure.
In the following article, we’ll discuss:
- The myth: “We don’t really need them”
- Inside the fence vs outside the fence
- Why data centre construction is uniquely complex
- License to operate: transparency matters
- AI: The disruptor changing everything
The myth: “We don’t really need them”
Let’s start with the strangest misconception of all. The idea that data centres are somehow unnecessary.
People say, “We have the cloud, we don’t need data centres”
But the cloud lives in our data centres. Everything digital runs through a physical building somewhere. The internet is not floating above us. It lives in buildings filled with servers, cooling systems and cables.
From the moment you wake up, you are interacting with data centres:
- Social media
- Online banking
- Smart home systems
- Streaming
- Navigation
- Workplace collaboration platforms
- Payment systems
- Electric vehicles
- Healthcare systems
- Government services
On average, a person interacts with dozens of data centres daily. It’s not just social media and cat videos.
Finance, pharmaceuticals, research, logistics, aviation, national security, all rely on data centre infrastructure.
If uptime drops, businesses can lose millions in minutes. If banking systems fail, society feels it instantly. We’ve moved from physical record books to fully digitised systems. There is no analogue backup sitting in a drawer anymore.
Data centres are the backbone of that reality.
Inside the fence vs outside the fence
One of the most important distinctions in the energy conversation is this:
Inside the fence
Outside the fence
Inside the fence refers to what operators control within the data centre boundary. And here, innovation is constant.
Operators are highly incentivised to reduce energy use because energy is their largest operating cost. Efficiency improvements directly improve margins.
Inside the fence you’ll find:
- Advanced cooling technologies
- Increasing interest in liquid cooling
- Optimised airflow and containment systems
- Energy-efficient electrical setups
- Ongoing experimentation with alternative backup solutions
But even more complex conversation lies outside the fence. Outside the fence refers to:
- Grid infrastructure
- National energy policy
- Transmission capacity
- Renewable integration
- Energy storage
- Public-private coordination
Here lies the structural bottleneck.
Data centres are, in many ways, 21st-century infrastructure running on 20th-century grid systems. Electrification across all sectors, transport, heating, industry, is increasing simultaneously. Data centres are one part of a much bigger energy transition.
An energy question is a data centre question. And a data centre question is an energy question.
Solving it requires coordination far beyond a single operator.
Why data centre construction is uniquely complex
From a distance, a data centre might look like a simple box. From the inside, it’s one of the most technically demanding building typologies in modern construction.
Yes, there is concrete and steel like any large-scale build. But what differentiates data centres is what happens after the shell is complete.
They are:
- Highly complex electrical systems
- Precision-cooled environments
- Connectivity hubs with massive cable interconnectivity
- Facilities designed for 99.999% uptime
Commissioning alone can take longer than the structural build itself and downtime is never inconvenient. It’s somewhat catastrophic. This is mission-critical infrastructure, comparable in many ways to airports, hospitals, or energy facilities.
License to operate: transparency matters
Public perception has shifted. It’s no longer acceptable to build infrastructure behind high fences without dialogue. Communities want transparency. They want to understand impact, timelines, noise levels, and long-term value.
The data centre industry is increasingly aware of this.
Initiatives like open days, industry weeks, school visits, and ecosystem collaboration aim to demystify what these buildings actually are.
Still, security remains non-negotiable, these facilities host critical data, but openness about purpose and impact is becoming part of the license to operate.
Data centres can no longer be invisible infrastructure. They must be understood infrastructure.
AI: The disruptor changing everything
Up until recently, data centre energy growth was somewhat balanced against efficiency improvements.
Operators improved cooling systems.
They optimised airflow.
They reduced energy waste.
They professionalised operations.
But AI is different.
AI workloads are far denser than traditional cloud computing. They demand significantly more power and generate significantly more heat. Designs that worked five years ago are no longer sufficient.
This is not a minor upgrade.
It changes:
- Rack density
- Cooling requirements
- Electrical architecture
- Power redundancy
- Spatial planning
- Grid connection strategies
AI doesn’t just increase demand. It forces redesign. And that’s where the real debate begins.
A mindset shift is needed
We rarely question the need for electricity substations. We don’t suggest shutting down airports because they consume energy. Data centres now belong in that same category.
They are not perfect.
They are not without challenges.
They require better integration and smarter policy.
The uncomfortable reality for critics is this: There will be more data centres.
AI growth, digitalisation, automation, cloud adoption, none of these trends are slowing down. The real question is not whether we build them. It’s how.
The future likely includes:
- Greater integration into energy systems
- Flexible load management
- Increased heat reuse where viable
- Closer collaboration between operators and grid providers
- More sophisticated cooling technologies
- Smarter site-specific designs instead of “cookie-cutter” templates
Data centres will increasingly be seen as part of critical national infrastructure, alongside energy, water, and transport.
Not separate from it.