Manchester Tech Week provided an impetus for an event at our Manchester campus to mark our ongoing data centre developments, our strategic partnerships, and our position within the thriving Manchester tech community.
Manchester has established itself as a major player within the UK technology sector. As businesses increasingly look beyond the capital for resilient, high-performance IT environments, Manchester offers a rapidly expanding alternative.
The claim that Manchester is a northern technology powerhouse is backed by compelling data – the city is a mature, high-capacity digital hub that provides a robust alternative to London-centric network architectures.
During this week’s event, Colin Peckham, Global Business Development at LINX (London Internet Exchange), shared valuable insights into network growth across the north. The statistics highlight a significant shift in data consumption and routing patterns. Peak network traffic in Manchester grew by an impressive 28% during 2025 and the Manchester exchange is one of the fastest-growing exchanges in the UK.
Traffic volumes are not yet quite at the one-terabit level but major broadcast events, such as the World Cup, may well provide the push over this figure. This level of network density and throughput earns Manchester the status as a critical node for national and international connectivity.
Datum has partnered with LINX for a decade, and our Manchester site has operated as a LINX Point of Presence (PoP) since 2019.
This long-standing relationship has been fundamental in providing our clients with direct, high-speed access to a massive peering network. During his presentation, Colin Peckham reflected on the evolution of our collaboration and the unique operational environment Datum provides:
“When I first started working with Datum it was like a breath of fresh air,” Peckham noted. “It was almost an island data centre within Wythenshawe – with very good customers and networks because of the way they operated.”
This operational excellence remains the foundation of our service delivery, ensuring that clients benefit from both superior infrastructure and unparalleled connectivity options.
The official launch of our MCR2 data centre in June 2025 represented a major milestone for Datum and the broader Manchester tech community. Tom Blundy, Senior Technical Director at Salute (specialists in global data centre design, build, commissioning, and operations, who served as our key partner in the design and construction of MCR2) also spoke at our event about the technical achievements of our latest Manchester facility.
Tom explained how MCR2 stands out within the UK market for several distinct technical and operational reasons:
To round off the event, we took attendees on a tour of MCR2. Walking the floor provided a tangible look at the enterprise-grade standards, the cooling innovations, and the rigorous security protocols in action.
While we celebrate our growth in Manchester, development continues across our wider portfolio. Hot on the heels of the MCR2 completion, construction has officially begun on FRN2.
Situated adjacent to our flagship London edge site in Farnborough, FRN2 will deliver the same exacting standards of resilience, efficiency, and security that our clients have come to expect.
For organisations planning their next IT deployment, choosing the right partner and location is a critical business decision. Whether you are looking to use our London edge facility or our Manchester site as your primary or secondary data centre, or to take advantage of both as part of a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy, our team is ready to assist.
Get in touch with Datum today to discuss your specific infrastructure requirements and discover how we can support your long-term goals.