Why Data Centres Need to Move from a Build Mindset to a Lifecycle Mindset

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMT

The UK is now home to more than 520 data centres, with continued growth driven by demand for AI. While planning and energy grid capacity dominate the conversation, maintenance, repair and operations procurement (MRO) - the work that keeps facilities running once they go live - is talked about far less. Yet when a data centre goes down, the impact is immediate: downtime cost, reputational damage, operational disruption, and a strain on already limited engineering resources.

Hosted by RS UK & Ireland, this episode brings together the expertise of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) and the Data Centre Alliance (DCA) for an essential conversation on business-critical issues in the sector that aren't discussed nearly enough:

What happens when a data centre moves from construction into live operation
Why handover is such a critical moment
And how operators, procurement teams and suppliers can be better prepared for the demands of live operation

Featuring:

Navid Mehr, Executive and Board Member, The Data Centre Alliance (DCA)

Phil Broughton, Business Development Leader, Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS)

Richard Graham, Industry Sector Manager, RS UK & Ireland

Host: Ashley Norris, Wearevolume.io

For more information, visit the RS Data Centres Hub

This episode is hosted by RS UK & Ireland, in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) and the Data Centre Alliance (DCA), bringing operator, procurement and supply chain expertise together on the business-critical issue of data centre MRO - maintenance, repair and operations procurement.

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The Data Centre MRO Gap and the Cost of Downtime

Why Data Centres Need to Move from a Build Mindset to a Lifecycle Mindset