Slough’s Data Centre Boom Runs Up Against a Power Shortage

In a recent LinkedIn post, Nick Curum examines how Slough became a major data centre hub—and how limited grid capacity may constrain the area’s growth. This article reports on Curum’s observations and analysis of the post; it is not written by Curum.

“Slough was a lorry depot, a chocolate town and a sitcom set. Now it is one of the largest data centre clusters in the world.”

How Slough became a technology hub

Curum points to three factors behind the cluster’s growth: major fibre routes running along the M4, proximity to London and Heathrow, and the Slough Trading Estate’s long-standing power infrastructure. He notes that the estate has had its own power station since the 1920s.

According to Curum, data centres have also taken root on land previously used for other purposes. His examples include a former paint works where Equinix is developing a campus, retail and office sites acquired by Segro, and a trading estate that began as a First World War repair yard. The examples show how the cluster has grown through redevelopment as well as through its location.

A large cluster with broad economic ties

Curum cites Kao Data’s count of more than 30 operating data centres in Slough, alongside an estimated 1GW of capacity and around 14,000 jobs linked to them. He also reports Segro’s claim that it has the world’s second-largest data centre portfolio. Virgin Media O2 describes its Slough site as the “heartbeat” of its mobile network, while Curum says Equinix’s campus serves as a hub for financial trading.

Together, these examples frame Slough’s data centres as part of the infrastructure behind communications and financial markets, as well as a significant local industry. The figures and company descriptions are presented in Curum’s post.

Grid capacity becomes the constraint

The post’s central tension is that the infrastructure supporting the cluster may also limit further development. Curum cites the Greater London Authority’s assessment that Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow are at grid capacity, with data centre growth named as a driver.

“Near a cluster like this, the scarce input for new homes is no longer land. It is a grid connection.”

Curum argues that this constraint brings energy and housing into the same planning conversation. His post connects Slough’s demand for power with the challenge of supplying new homes, suggesting that access to the grid can shape what gets built as much as the availability of land.

A historical echo

Curum closes with a story from 1845: a telegraph message sent from Slough reportedly reached Paddington ahead of a suspect fleeing by train, enabling what he describes as the first arrest made by telegraph. He uses the anecdote to draw a contrast between data outrunning transport in the past and today’s power constraints.

“Slough was where data first outran a train. 181 years later, the data has stayed. The power has run short.”

In Curum’s telling, Slough’s history and present-day infrastructure meet at the same point: the town remains central to moving information, while its next phase of growth depends on electricity. He notes that energy and housing are being discussed together at ELUK, describing Slough as a place where the two already share one grid.