By Paul Cossell, CEO

What do you say when you have just seconds to capture the attention of King Charles? That was a question I had to consider when I attended the UK Government’s recent Global Investment Summit and the reception that followed, hosted by the King at Buckingham Palace. 

The invitation to join the event as CEO of Yondr, along with around 200 other CEOs of major investors into the UK economy from around the world, was already a privilege. The chance to talk to the King about Yondr’s net zero targets and sustainability goals was an opportunity that I was keen to maximise. ‘I work in the data center sector’ I told the King, ‘our industry builds the digital infrastructure that the world needs, and we’re taking action to minimise the environmental impact of what we do.” 

It was an approach that not only chimed with the King’s own, well-documented passion for environmental issues, but also with the themes of the summit. The event championed innovation, creativity and talent – all of which Yondr is demonstrating in spades.  Our talented team is taking a creative approach to the challenge of delivering resilient data center capacity at scale, innovating with solutions that answer the needs of our clients and address the imperative of minimising the impact of critical infrastructure on the planet. 

My invitation to the event was secured by the level of investment – more than £1 billion – that Yondr is ploughing into our Slough data center campus; a 100MW capacity facility we are currently delivering, with the second 30MW building now underway and due for initial completion in 2024. Yondr and this development were mentioned specifically in the presentations at the event, with the UK government recognising the importance of the data center sector to the country’s AI ambitions and ability to compete on a global stage. 

The summit included both presentations and panel discussions, bringing together influencers as diverse as Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, who spoke enthusiastically about creativity in the UK and the value of the arts and, and Stephen Schwarzman, co-founder and CEO of Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset management company. The key question for the internationally-renowned business leaders involved in the panel discussions was why they have invested in the UK and why others might also choose to invest. And the key themes that cropped up again and again in their responses was that the UK offers stability and predictability. 

They were themes that struck a chord with me, because there is such a strong synergy with the core proposition that Yondr offers our clients. What we provide is integral to our clients’ operational and commercial requirements, so it is essential that we offer clear parameters for capacity, critical path for project delivery, and cost certainty. Fundamentally, we offer confidence of stability and predictability from concept through to operational data center, and at every touchpoint in between.  

Our clients put a huge level of trust in Yondr because their ability to scale up, keep pace with the opportunities that advancing technology provides, and serve their own customers relies on our ability to keep our promises. And we do. We have a proven track record of on-time project delivery and zero downtime. We’re also right by our clients’ side throughout the project’s lifecycle; from finding the right site in the right location, delivering the asset and running the data center during the operational phase. 

The Global Investment Summit brought together a diverse gathering of leaders from a wide array of sectors and geographical locations. But we had much more than our decision to invest in the UK in common. All those at the summit prioritise stability and predictability, both in their investment decisions and in their supply chain; principles that also sit at the heart of Yondr’s success.