Equinix to invest £3.9 billion in UK data centre with focus on sustainability
The company has acquired an 85 acre site in South Mimms with permission for development
5 November 2025
Equinix is investing £3.9 billion in a new data centre campus in Hertfordshire, expanding UK infrastructure to support growing demand for artificial intelligence and digital services.
The company has acquired an 85-acre site in South Mimms with permission for development, and plans to build a 250MW+ Hertfordshire Campus.
The facility will use dry air cooling to minimise water consumption, operate on 100% renewable energy, and retain over half the land as open space. Equinix also plans to deliver at least a 10% biodiversity net gain through new ecological habitats.
The site is designed to support future heat-export infrastructure, allowing waste heat to be reused locally.
Construction is expected to create around 2,500 jobs, with more than 200 permanent roles once the site is operational. KPMG estimates the campus could contribute up to £3 billion in annual Gross Value Added (GVA) during the build phase, and £260 million annually thereafter.
Equinix said the facility will support a range of sectors including healthcare, life sciences, public services, finance and manufacturing. The company already operates 14 data centres in the UK and supports over 1,300 UK-based customers.
The development aligns with government ambitions to expand sovereign AI capability. The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall, described the investment as a “huge win” for the UK.
Equinix has committed to ongoing engagement with local communities and investment in education, employment and environmental initiatives. The site’s sustainability features are consistent with its global goal to achieve 100% renewable energy usage across all facilities by 2030.
Planning consent is already in place. A construction timeline has not been confirmed.