Digital Uptime

In this episode of Digital Uptime, host George Haitsch and guests Kate Colberg, Risk Advisory Lead – North America, Alert:24 and Pete Bransden, Head of Crisis Management – North America explore the evolving risks facing data center owners and operators as AI accelerates the sector's strategic importance. They examine growing threats from activism, political violence, geopolitical tensions and interconnected cyber and physical exposures and discuss how intelligence-led assessments, crisis preparedness and operational resilience can help organizations anticipate and mitigate disruption. The conversation also highlights potential insurance coverage gaps, emerging insurer concerns and the value of risk financing strategies tailored to complex exposures.

Asia's data centre sector is expanding fast to keep pace with AI growth — but the infrastructure behind it faces mounting pressure. In this episode of Digital Uptime, Trent Williams and Lay See Ong dig into the real-world challenges shaping that build-out, from power availability and site selection to resource constraints and supply chain risk. They also explore why investors are shifting their attention toward resilience and risk management as the keys to long-term success in digital infrastructure.

Digital infrastructure touches almost every aspect of modern life, but most people rarely see what happens behind the screen. As demand for data, connectivity and computing power continues to grow, understanding the systems that enable our digital world has never been more important.

In this episode, to mark the UK's National Data Centre Day, host Karl Sawyer speaks with a group of WTW early-career professionals about the lessons they wish they had known before entering the industry. Together, they discuss the role data centres play in supporting everyday digital activities, the interconnected challenges involved in keeping services running, and the diverse career opportunities available across one of the world's fastest-growing sectors.

In this episode of Digital Uptime, Kate Fowler, Global Head of Nuclear and Alastair Nicklin, Senior Director, Natural Resources, explore the growing connection between AI, data centres and nuclear energy. The discussion examines why surging demand for computing power is making reliable electricity a strategic priority, how nuclear power can support digital infrastructure resilience, and the risks and opportunities associated with deploying new nuclear technologies to meet future energy needs.

As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly critical to economic activity, how can organizations maintain digital uptime in a world of growing system pressures and interdependencies? In this episode, host Sonal Madhok, Technology Risks Analyst at the Willis Research Network, is joined by Lucy Stanbrough, Head of Emerging Risks Research, to explore how the risk landscape for digital infrastructure is evolving beyond traditional operational concerns. Together, they examine how rising demand for power, water, and computing capacity is creating new pressures across interconnected systems, and why resilience now depends on understanding the relationships between infrastructure, supply chains, energy networks, and wider societal systems.

Drawing on research from the Willis Research Network and collaborations with leading academic institutions, the discussion explores emerging risks, shared dependencies, concentration risk, and the growing challenge of sustaining digital growth in an increasingly resource-constrained world. The episode also examines how organizations can move beyond asset-level risk management toward a more strategic, systems-based approach to resilience, identifying opportunities alongside risks as digital infrastructure becomes more deeply embedded in energy, community, and economic systems.

How is climate change reshaping risk for the data center sector? In this episode, host Ester Calavia is joined by senior directors Dulce Perez and Richard Bater from Willis' climate practice to explore the growing exposure of digital infrastructure to natural catastrophes and chronic climate hazards.

From flooding and extreme heat to water stress and rising cooling costs, the episode covers site selection strategies, resilience-by-design principles, regulatory trends, and how operators can turn climate risk into a competitive advantage. Essential listening for data center owners, risk managers and infrastructure investors.

Join our Willis experts Tom Grandmaison, George Haitsch, and Trent Williams as they examine the rapidly expanding AI-driven data center sector. This episode brings together global construction, technology, and risk management insights essential for navigating today's digital infrastructure landscape.

Learn about our innovative eight-point risk framework and strategic carrier partnerships that deliver seamlessly integrated insurance solutions. Our experts explore how Willis is proactively addressing emerging industry challenges, including energy dependencies and supply chain vulnerabilities.

Discover how we're building the future of digital infrastructure insurance with a truly global, client-centric approach, while supporting your projects from the initial groundbreaking stage through to operations.