The electricity demands of data centers are making it harder to build new homes in London

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Data centers use as much electricity as tens of thousands of homes. Developers are not able to build houses in parts of London because there isn't enough electricity.

The issue is affecting new developments in three west London boroughs, according to a report from The Financial Times. There may not be enough electrical capacity for a new connection in west London until at least 2035 according to the GLA.

The high value of land in London makes it difficult to build infrastructure. Data centers located along the M4 corridor need a lot of electricity. The stretch of land next to the M4 motorway is home to many technology companies, including campuses for Microsoft and Dell.

Data canters use large quantities of electricity, the equivalent of towns or small cities, to power their server farms and ensure resilience in service, according to the GLA. The three London boroughs affected account for 11 percent of the city's housing supply, but it's not clear how many housing projects have been blocked by this.

As companies switch more processing and storage operations to cloud operations, and as rising temperatures caused by climate change strain cooling systems, the electricity demands of data centers will only grow. When the UK experienced a record-breaking heat wave, several data centers in London were knocked out. Energy companies were forced to pay record prices to keep the lights on.

The UK has a chronic under-supply of housing and is one of the country's biggest challenges.