The UK government has admitted it does not know what the country's largest datacentres are actually being used for, according to a freedom of information request, fuelling concerns about transparency as the AI-driven construction boom continues. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (since dissolved) said it did not hold the requested information, prompting criticism from campaigners and the Green party that ministers are approving major infrastructure without understanding its purpose or beneficiaries, even as new rules allow qualifying datacentres to bypass local planning committees.

Hundreds of datacentres are awaiting planning permission, with 315 queuing to connect to the National Grid, while two planned sites are expected to produce higher carbon emissions than ExxonMobil in the UK. Campaigners, including Global Action Plan and Friends of the Earth, warn that the sites' designation as critical national infrastructure since 2024 could see their high water and energy demands prioritised over households during droughts, and are calling for a moratorium and stricter environmental safeguards, including a requirement for 100% additional renewable energy for new projects. The government declined to comment on the transparency failure but defended continued expansion, arguing a pause would drive investment and jobs abroad and leave Britain reliant on foreign processing of sensitive data.