Sp Ep: Insuring the Trillion Dollar Data Boom

Our industry is a mature one and because of that, growth stories are highly valuable.
So today, we're looking deeply into the best growth opportunity for insurance in decades.
And to that end we are going to examine an industry experiencing exponential growth and looking to multiply the amount of capital that it deploys tenfold over the next five years.
We are of course talking about data centres.
The huge demand for computer processing power unleashed by the boom in the application of artificial intelligence is a key driver of this new demand.
On a recent results call, Aon CEO Greg Case said that this new phenomenon could generate over $10 billion in new premium volume in 2026 alone.
But whilst the opportunity is enormous, so are the challenges.
We won’t get ten billion dollars in new premiums a year without taking on substantial new volumes of risk.
The sheer scale of investment in new data infrastructure is staggering, putting immense pressure on traditional construction methods, supply chains, power grids, the environment, and of course the traditional insurance market that is being asked to provide insurance cover for this unprecedented surge in the construction of vast assets.
To help us analyse this opportunity from all angles, we’ve convened four experts, each offering a unique perspective—
from an investor owning and operating the centres, to the underwriters covering property, environmental, and renewable energy risks.
So I’m delighted to be joined by Atul Roy, an investor in digital infrastructure at Cordiant Capital who is representing the customer in our discussions;
Lindsay Shipper, Head of North American Commercial Property at Beazley;
Ben Sheppard, a renewable energy underwriting expert; and Nicholas Pearson who is a specialist in environmental liability risk underwriting.