Q&A: Liam Round, The Data Centre Alliance: How data centres can think and design differently

Following his appearance at Microelectronics UK in September, Liam Round, chair of the advisory council at the Data Centre Alliance (DCA), talks to us about recent industry updates, as well as his key takeaways from the event.

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Hi, Liam. You became Chair of the Advisory Council at the Data Centre Alliance earlier this year - and have taken the role at an extremely interesting time. What were your key objectives coming into the role?

The key objectives were relatively straightforward. Ensure that good governance, industry best practice and stakeholder engagement at all levels was something we progressed whilst also uniting the industry to ensure, as designated CNI (critical national infrastructure), we are a positive economic and societal contributor.

How have you assessed what came out of the recent Budget, particularly around a proposed data centre covenant which aims to support faster and more certain delivery? Do you believe this is a step in the right direction for balancing the infrastructure required to take advantage of AI alongside community concerns?

The covenant is a good step, a strong step, but a small step. There is much to be addressed and of course under our special interest groups we will respond as the industry body to ensure no one is left behind and nothing is detrimental as communities, nationally and industry-wise. It has to be a fully joined-up approach. 

From a wider UK perspective, what are the UK's biggest strengths when it comes to building out this sector and where should the biggest bets be made right now?

I think it’s our technological and engineering history. The UK, particularly Slough is the largest DC cluster outside of the US and remains a hub for major banking institutions, fintech and colocation. This isn't an accident. Think back to the days of Turing, Berners-Lee, Hinton: all of these inspired a generation as well as allows us to be a global leader in this field, but we cannot afford to lose out in the AI advancement.

You participated at Microelectronics UK in a panel session entitled 'The Future of Data Centres.' What were the key talking points and what was the biggest takeaway in your opinion for those who didn't get a chance to see it?

That the semiconductor industry is thriving in the UK! Thanks to the rise in AI, Steady State Transformers (SST) through photonics and the ability to package means data centres can not only think differently but design differently.

How did you assess the Microelectronics UK event more widely in terms of the sectors coming together and how it relates to your work in the data centre industry, and what did you enjoy most about the event?

It was excellent. The DCA, as well as myself, rarely get exposure to this level of the industry as it’s probably not classed as a direct influence, but through the partnerships made with the panel this is something we hope to change. Collaboration is important to change, important in the DC industry and important toward growth for the UK.

We are very thankful to Microelectronics UK and our panellists and look forward to working more closely together.

Microelectronics US, taking place on 4-5 May at Palmer Events Center, Austin, TX, will for the first time featured a dedicated stage for data centre and AI infrastructure. Find out more about the event here.