Tools / Regulatory tracker / Data centres designated critical national infrastructure
Regulatory tracker · United Kingdom · Cyber and resilience
Data centres designated critical national infrastructure
UK data centres were designated CNI in September 2024, alongside energy and water.
Policy Designation announced September 2024. Statutory duties follow from the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.
What it does
The rule in brief
The government designated data centres as critical national infrastructure, giving the sector the government support on security and resilience incidents that other CNI sectors receive. The designation is not itself a licensing regime; the statutory duties come from the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.
Timeline
Key dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 12 September 2024 | Designation announced |
Primary sources
Read it at source
Cite as: InfraCompute regulatory tracker, “Data centres designated critical national infrastructure”, checked 27 October 2026, https://www.infracompute.co.uk/tools/regulatory-tracker/uk-data-centres-cni.
Related
Also on the tracker
National Security and Investment Act 2021
Mandatory approval before acquiring control of a UK entity in 17 sectors, including data infrastructure and computing hardware.
United Kingdom · Cyber and resilienceCyber Security and Resilience Bill
Brings data centres of 1 MW or more (10 MW for enterprise sites) under the NIS rules, with Ofcom as regulator.
United Kingdom · Planning and permittingAI Growth Zones
Designated zones with grid connection priority, planning support and a proposed electricity cost discount.
United Kingdom · Grid and powerGrid connections for strategic demand
Proposals to clear speculative demand from the queue and prioritise capacity for data centres.
Method
Each entry is written from the official text and the government, regulator or legislature pages listed above, never from secondary commentary. This entry is checked by hand at each content review. Status and dates can change after the review date, so check the source before relying on it. General information drawn from public filings. It is not legal advice on any transaction, and using this page does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Views are personal.
