Saturday February 8 2025
Swindon & Wiltshire News
HRH The Duke of Kent paid a visit to Ark Data Centre in Corsham last week as part of a tour of leading technology businesses in the region.
Ark – a company that designs, constructs and operates the UK’s most efficient data centres, known as The Arks – was selected as part of The Duke’s tour of the area to learn more about innovative technologies.
Ark has received widespread recognition for operating the most energy-efficient datacentres in the country, which can save clients over £1 million and 6,000 tonnes of carbon, per Mega Watt of IT load, each year.
The Spring Park datacentre campus at Corsham, one of two in Ark’s estate, is unique as it not only has 38 acres on which to build sustainable datacentres above ground, but also an underground facility which may be developed for Data Vaults in the future.
The Duke, who is the patron of the British Computer Society, was accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sarah Troughton, and was hosted by CEO Huw Owen, and COO Steve Webb.
The Queen’s cousin was led on a rare guided tour of the underground facilities and briefed on the history of the nearby mines, before taking a tour of Ark’s state of the art datacentre facilities, where he had the chance to see at close hand the latest innovations and intricate processes that ensure such high-energy efficiencies at Ark.
The Lord Lieutenant said, “As patron of the British Computer Society, his Royal Highness has a keen interest in technological developments, and he appreciated this opportunity to learn about a company which is very much at the cutting-edge of the growingdata centre industry.
“He took a real interest in the key processes that take place at Ark, and found the history of the site fascinating. It was a pleasure to have His Royal Highness with us for the day.”
Huw Owen CEO of Ark, added, “It was our sincere honour to welcome HRH The Duke of Kent to Ark Data Centres and to provide him with a tour of our facilities.
“His visit caps what has been an exciting year for the company, we have made great strides to advance our position, and we look to continue to expand our operations both here at Spring Park and at Cody Park in Hampshire, whilst investing in the latest innovations to ensure our clients receive only the best service possible.”
