Welcome to our latest round-up of news from the technology and hosting world. Here’s what we’ve discovered this month.
Mega UK Data Centre
The green light has been given to build one of the largest data centres in Europe, near South Killingholme in Lincolnshire, with construction expected to commence in 2025. Covering an area of over 300,000 sq. metres, the facility will feature up to three data centre buildings and will be capable of supporting an IT load of 384MW. Additionally, the site will have its own electricity substation as well as emergency generators, a district heating unit and a horticultural glasshouse that will make use of the data centre’s surplus heat. The energy supply for the project will come from North Sea gas, offshore wind and the prospective Viking Carbon Capture and Storage project.
Humber Tech Park, the organisation behind the development, expects it to attract clients who are primarily engaged in AI model training. North Lincolnshire Council, meanwhile, estimates that the project will create nearly 400 new jobs and generate over £3 billion in investment for the area.
AI Funding
A wide range of AI initiatives from across the UK are set to share £32 million of government funding in a drive to boost productivity and efficiency in some of the country’s key sectors. The 98 projects, which involve more than 200 businesses and research institutions, cover industries including construction, transportation and healthcare. Some of the leading projects being funded are Anteam’s AI-based prescription delivery system; V-Lab’s virtual training simulations, which aim to improve construction site safety; Monumo’s project to design more sustainable electric vehicle motors; and Hack Partners programme to develop an autonomous system for the monitoring and management of railway infrastructure.
The initiative is being funded by the UK Research and Innovation Technology Missions Fund and is being managed through Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme, which will also provide projects with additional assistance in AI expertise and training.
Quantum Breakthrough
UK tech company, Oxford Ionics, has developed an innovative chip that experts believe could play a crucial role in the development of efficient quantum computers. The company, founded in 2019 by Dr Chris Ballance and Dr Tom Harty, both of whom have PhDs in Quantum Computing from the University of Oxford, believe their mass-producible chip could lead to the creation of the first practical quantum computer in the next three years.
Using sophisticated technology that’s engineered to manipulate trapped ions, the Oxford Ionics chip is the only one yet developed that provides the performance that quantum computing needs to be viable. According to the company, it delivers more than twice the performance of previous models, making the prospect of quantum computing closer than ever.
Unlike traditional computers that operate on binary bits, quantum computers use qubits, which have the bizarre ability to exist in multiple states at once. This enables them to tackle complex problems far faster than standard computers, potentially transforming areas such as cryptography, drug development and materials science.
Cookie U-Turn
In an unexpected turn of events, Google has abandoned its four-year programme to scrap third-party cookies from its Chrome browser, a decision that has disappointed the UK’s data privacy regulator, the ICO. Third-party cookies, which enable advertisers to track users across different websites, have been a fundamental part of online advertising for decades, however, many see them as an invasion of user privacy.
Instead of removing the cookies, Google will now provide users with an informed choice regarding their web browsing data. This will mean people will continue to see cookie consent notifications, which are annoying to many and too time-consuming for most people to do anything with.
The U-turn is also likely to reignite the ongoing discussion regarding digital privacy and advertising practices, with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concerned that Google’s initial plan to replace cookies would increase its dominance of the online advertising market.
Rising Breach Costs
New research from IBM has revealed a big rise in data breach costs over the past year, with companies seeing the steepest rise in remediation expenses since the pandemic. According to IBM’s Cost of Downtime Report, which looked at data from 604 organisations across 17 industries and 16 countries, the average cost of a data breach climbed to £3.76 million in 2023, up 10% on 2022.
The study also highlighted the growing impact of skills shortages in cybersecurity, with over half of the organisations facing severe staffing challenges. This has led to a 26% rise in security skills gaps and added £1.36 million to the average recovery costs. However, according to the report, employee training could reduce these costs by around £200,000.
Aside from costs, recovery was also shown to have a long-term impact, with only 12% of organisations saying they had fully recovered from the effects of data breaches on their business operations and customer trust.
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