• • • DATA CENTRES • • •
IT’S TIME TO RETHINK WHAT WE MEAN BY A LEGACY DATA CENTRE
BY SIMON HARRIS,
DIRECTOR OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, BCS CONSULTANCY
O
ne of the questions we’re increasingly asked by operators, investors and asset owners is whether an existing data centre
is still fit for purpose. The question is usually prompted by a
specific challenge. Sometimes it’s driven by AI deployments and higher rack densities. Sometimes it’s part of a due diligence exercise during an acquisition. Sometimes it’s because cooling systems are beginning to struggle during periods of sustained high temperatures. Occasionally it’s simply because the facility is ten or fifteen years old and someone has started referring to it as a ‘legacy’ site. What’s interesting is that the age of the building
is rarely the factor that determines the answer. Many of today’s existing data centre facilities have already adapted to several generations of technology. They’ve accommodated changing server platforms, increasing power densities, evolving cooling strategies and different customer requirements throughout their operational lives. Which begs the question, are we as an industry
becoming too quick to label facilities as legacy? The term itself has gradually become shorthand for something that’s outdated or approaching the end of its useful life. Technology now moves at a very different pace
to buildings. A data centre may take four or five years to progress from concept through planning, design and construction before it becomes
operational. If we define a legacy facility simply as one that wasn’t designed around today’s technology, then almost every operational data centre is, to some extent, a legacy asset. That isn’t a criticism of the building. It’s simply
recognising that digital infrastructure has always been designed to evolve. What has changed over the past two years is the pace of that evolution. Much of the industry’s attention has
understandably focused on the construction of new AI-ready facilities. However, a significant proportion of the work happening across the market today isn’t taking place on greenfield sites. It’s happening inside live operational facilities. Across the industry, operators are assessing
how existing electrical infrastructure can support greater loads, whether cooling systems can be upgraded for higher-density deployments, and how established assets can continue supporting changing customer requirements. Those conversations reflect a growing recognition that existing estates often represent some of an operator’s most valuable assets. Increasingly, the conversation is moving beyond whether an existing facility can be upgraded, to whether doing so represents the stronger commercial proposition. Many existing facilities occupy locations that
would be extremely difficult to develop today. They already have planning consent, established fibre connectivity, experienced operational teams and valuable power allocations. In some cases, they also contain electrical capacity that has never been fully utilised. Given the increasing difficulty of securing new
power, identifying that untapped capacity can significantly increase the value of an existing facility. Unlocking it through targeted engineering improvements can create expansion opportunities that offer a significant speed-to-market advantage
26 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • SEPTEMBER 2026
over new build developments, allowing operators to achieve faster revenue commencement while others are still progressing through planning, utility connections and construction. Every operational facility represents a significant
investment in materials, engineering and construction. Extending the life of those assets through targeted upgrades and refurbishment can avoid unnecessary demolition, reduce embodied carbon and improve operational performance. Modernisation should not be viewed as a compromise to new development. In many cases, it represents the most efficient use of both capital and resources. Data centres no longer need to be viewed as
either new or legacy. In reality, every operational facility sits somewhere on a continuous cycle of improvement. Cooling systems are upgraded. Electrical infrastructure evolves. Operational strategies change. None of those activities suggest a building has reached the end of its useful life. They simply reflect the pace at which the industry develops. The question, therefore, isn’t whether a facility is
legacy. The more useful question is whether it still has the ability to evolve. The experience of operators across the market suggests that many existing assets have considerably more potential than their age alone would imply. Operators who understand the potential within
their existing estates will be better positioned to respond to demand while others are still progressing through planning and construction. The question is no longer whether existing assets have a role to play in the industry’s future, but how much value remains to be unlocked within them.
www.bcsconsultancy.com
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
