- The world will need many more data centres and supply is constrained
- But this power-intensive industry has to contend with regulatory pressures
- We look at options to gain exposure to the trend
The email you sent to your most important client last week. The WhatsApp message inviting your daughter for dinner on your birthday. The picture of your dog covered in mud at the end of the Sunday walk. There’s a place that sees, houses and makes possible every little thing you do online, from the music you listen to, to doing your grocery shopping.
From the outside, it looks like just another giant warehouse. But inside are not aisles of boxes but thousands of computers, which means it uses up vast amounts of electricity and water and is protected by sophisticated security systems. The place is a data centre. Or, more accurately, many different data centres, depending on the digital services you use.