Louis Fantis, Chetwoods Director and head of our Data Centres team, was recently invited by AI Minister Kanishka Narayan MP and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to attend a high-level roundtable at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) in Whitehall to explore the future of data centre design in the UK.

The discussion comes as the Government accelerates its ambition to position the UK as a global leader in artificial intelligence by scaling the digital infrastructure needed to support AI innovation and adoption. Central to this vision is the newly launched RIBA x DSIT Data Centre Design Challenge – the first government-backed design competition of its kind.

The national initiative aims to bring together architects, engineers, designers, technology specialists and local communities to rethink how data centres are designed, encouraging solutions that deliver not only technical excellence but also sustainability.

The roundtable brought together leaders from across architecture, technology, infrastructure and government to help shape the Design Challenge, ensuring it delivers meaningful, lasting impact. Discussions focused on the Government's vision for the next generation of UK data centres and how the competition can demonstrate international leadership in AI infrastructure, environmental performance and design quality. The ambition is for the Design Challenge to become a prestigious initiative that attracts the industry's best ideas while influencing future real-world developments.

Louis represented Chetwoods' extensive expertise in the rapidly evolving data centre sector. Our research-led approach explores innovative approaches and typologies to create data centres that are both operationally efficient and better integrated with their surrounding communities. The practice has delivered - and is currently designing - a diverse range of data centre projects that combine our expertise in industrial and infrastructure architecture with our advanced sustainability, digital innovation and masterplanning experience.

Reflecting on the event, Louis said: "The UK's AI ambitions depend on world-class digital infrastructure, but that infrastructure must also earn its place within communities through outstanding design, environmental performance and long-term value. It was encouraging to see Government and RIBA bringing together such a diverse group of experts to help shape this important initiative, and we look forward to contributing to the next stage of the Design Challenge."

The Government roundtable reflects the growing recognition that architecture has a critical role to play in delivering the next generation of digital infrastructure, ensuring data centres become resilient, sustainable and well-designed assets that support both technological innovation and the places in which they are built.

Images: Chetwoods Designs - Top: 200 Bath Road Slough data centre. Bottom : GTR Ealing data centre