Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Simon Marks is stunned by housing minister Matthew Pennycook's insistence that 'nobody' in the UK would oppose building data centres (00:38).
Simon asks the Telegraph's James Titcomb (01:48) about the feeling in Britain, before giving a taster of how the 'political football' is being thrown around in America (04:29).
Simon also hears from LBC callers, who have their say on the topic (07:29).
Meanwhile, the government has been urged to pause the rapid rollout of AI data centres, as concerns mount over their energy and water usage amid claims local communities are being 'sidelined'.
The UK is seeing a surge in the number of AI data centres - power-hungry warehouses storing the servers, storage systems and networks that power AI systems such as ChatGPT.
They are much larger than older internet data centres and require huge amounts of fresh water, required to stop servers from overheating, and electricity to run.
There are thought to be around 500 data centres across the UK, with that number expected to increase by a fifth over the next five years, largely concentrated in London and the south east.
“Data centres aren’t new,” says Anisah Khan, a parliamentary campaigner at the environmental charity Global Action Plan.
But what has changed, she explains, is the rollout of energy-hungry "hyperscale" data centres, fuelled by an explosion in AI demand.
Just one of these facilities can devour 1.5 million litres of water a day, enough to supply a town of 10,000 people, according to Global Action Plan.
Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp
#simonmarks #politics #LBC
LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK.
Join in the conversation and listen at lbc.co.uk
Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: l-bc.co/signup
Simon Marks is stunned by housing minister Matthew Pennycook's insistence that 'nobody' in the UK would oppose building data centres (00:38).
Simon asks the Telegraph's James Titcomb (01:48) about the feeling in Britain, before giving a taster of how the 'political football' is being thrown around in America (04:29).
Simon also hears from LBC callers, who have their say on the topic (07:29).
Meanwhile, the government has been urged to pause the rapid rollout of AI data centres, as concerns mount over their energy and water usage amid claims local communities are being 'sidelined'.
The UK is seeing a surge in the number of AI data centres - power-hungry warehouses storing the servers, storage systems and networks that power AI systems such as ChatGPT.
They are much larger than older internet data centres and require huge amounts of fresh water, required to stop servers from overheating, and electricity to run.
There are thought to be around 500 data centres across the UK, with that number expected to increase by a fifth over the next five years, largely concentrated in London and the south east.
“Data centres aren’t new,” says Anisah Khan, a parliamentary campaigner at the environmental charity Global Action Plan.
But what has changed, she explains, is the rollout of energy-hungry "hyperscale" data centres, fuelled by an explosion in AI demand.
Just one of these facilities can devour 1.5 million litres of water a day, enough to supply a town of 10,000 people, according to Global Action Plan.
Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp
#simonmarks #politics #LBC
LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK.
Join in the conversation and listen at lbc.co.uk
Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: l-bc.co/signup
