SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Granicus has published UK research showing that 57% of public sector workers are embedding or testing AI-driven services, while 69% of citizens are unaware of any public services using AI.

The findings point to a gap between adoption inside public bodies and public understanding of how the technology is being used.

The research was based on responses from 500 public sector employees and 1,000 UK citizens across local government, central government, housing and the NHS. It comes as digital reform remains central to public services, with departments under pressure to improve access while managing budgets, skills shortages and ageing systems.

Trust appears to be a central issue. Nearly half of citizens surveyed, 49%, said they do not trust or feel comfortable with AI in public services, while 55% said they trust digital public services based on their use over the past year.

This leaves public bodies in a difficult position. Workers inside government are moving ahead with AI trials and deployments, but a large share of the public either does not know the technology is in use or feels uneasy about it.

Priorities also differ between the public and those inside the sector. While 30% of public sector workers said AI should be among the key technologies needed to close the digital services gap by 2028, only 17% of citizens said it should be a focus over the next two to three years to improve services.

Cybersecurity ranked higher among workers, with 34% identifying it as a key need, followed by big data analytics at 22%. The figures suggest officials see the next phase of digital service delivery as depending on a broader set of systems and protections rather than AI alone.

Training emerged as another constraint. Some 62% of public sector workers said the digital tools they already have could be used more effectively, and 42% identified lack of training as the biggest barrier. Asked which skills they personally needed more support with, 39% named AI literacy.

The survey also pointed to pressure on leadership and organisational alignment. A majority of workers, 54%, said leadership, communication and alignment continue to hold back digital initiatives, with little change over the past year.

At the same time, staff satisfaction with current digital services has improved. The proportion of public sector workers who said they were happy with current services rose to 56% from 46% previously. Yet confidence in readiness for the future moved in the opposite direction, falling to 47% from 61% a year earlier.

Among citizens, concerns about the long-term direction of digital public services were also evident, with 42% saying they are not confident about future readiness.

Accessibility gap

The research found another divide on accessibility. While 58% of public sector workers said their organisation’s digital services are fully accessible to people with low digital skills or disabilities, 29% of citizens said they had personally experienced difficulty accessing digital public services over the past year.

Citizens also placed accessibility above AI in their list of priorities for improvement. Some 24% said accessibility should be prioritised over the next two to three years, compared with 17% for AI and 8% for interoperability. Staff training was the top choice for 27% of citizens.

These findings suggest the public is more focused on whether services are easy to use and available to everyone than on the technologies being introduced inside departments and agencies.

Ian Roberts, UK Managing Director at Granicus, said: “The level of engagement and utilisation of AI and automation across government services shows clear progress, but our research also highlights the work needed to bring citizens on that journey. This extends to the role of training and addressing AI literacy, which our research highlights. This will be key over the next 12 months, not only in bringing about greater efficiencies for local authorities but also in improving digital services, enhancing accessibility and allowing the public to self-serve and access the support they need.”

The figures add to the broader debate over how public services should explain the use of AI to citizens, especially where automation affects access, communication or decision-making. They also indicate that departments may need to focus as much on communication, staff skills and service design as on new tools if they want public confidence to keep pace with deployment.

For now, the clearest finding is the contrast between internal momentum and external awareness: a majority of public sector workers say AI is already being used or tested in their organisations, while more than two-thirds of the public say they have not noticed it.

Submer Group has launched Rubix Data Centres, a developer and operator of AI data centre campuses. The business starts with a powered land portfolio of more than 8GW across the Americas, EMEA and APAC.

John Eland will lead the new unit. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of STACK Infrastructure EMEA and Global Chief Strategy Officer at NTT Global Data Centres. Alison Gutman, formerly Senior Vice President of Business Management at STACK Infrastructure EMEA, joins as Senior Vice President of global business operations.

The move expands Submer’s position in AI infrastructure beyond cooling and related technology into the development and operation of physical data centre sites. Rubix is aimed at hyperscale users seeking larger facilities for AI and cloud workloads, covering site origination and community engagement through to delivery and ongoing operations.

Demand for data centre space has risen sharply as companies expand their use of AI systems that require more computing power and denser infrastructure. That has sharpened the focus on access to power, land and grid connections, which many in the sector now see as the main constraints on further expansion.

Rubix’s initial footprint spans three major regions, giving it access to markets where cloud groups and AI operators are seeking capacity. It said it will combine engineering and modular design with development execution to support faster deployment of AI infrastructure.

Eland brings more than 25 years of experience across data centres, telecommunications and infrastructure investment. His appointment gives the new business an executive with experience scaling regional and international data centre platforms at a time of rising investor interest in the sector.

Submer has been building a broader group structure around AI infrastructure. The launch of Rubix follows the introduction of its neocloud business, InferX, as it seeks a wider presence across the market, from cooling and compute to land, power and site operations.

Submer is backed by M&G Investments, Planet First Partners, Norrsken VC and Mundi Ventures. The support comes as investors continue to target data centres and related assets tied to AI expansion, despite growing concerns over electricity supply, planning timelines and the cost of delivering new sites.

A key issue for developers is the shift in technical requirements created by AI workloads. Compared with many traditional enterprise computing tasks, AI training and inference can require higher power densities, more specialised cooling and faster delivery of large-scale campuses, prompting operators to rethink standard data centre designs.

That pressure has also expanded the role of infrastructure groups that can secure land and energy while moving projects through development quickly. In several markets, the race to build capacity has become less about computing chips alone and more about who can assemble suitable sites and connect them to reliable power.

Speaking about the new business, Eland pointed to Submer’s existing market ties.

“Thanks to its long-standing reputation for excellence in sustainable cooling for ultra-high-density workloads and its neocloud business InferX, Submer has close relationships with GPU manufacturers as well as the hyperscale end users of GPU as-a-Service. This gives Rubix early line of sight into AI demand workloads,” said John Eland, Chief Executive Officer of Rubix Data Centres.

He added: “I am excited to launch Rubix and grow our global business to enable our clients to scale AI and cloud deployments with speed, efficiency, consistency and sustainability.”

Submer Chief Executive Officer Patrick Smets said the company sees AI infrastructure as requiring a different model for design and delivery.

“AI infrastructure requires a fundamentally different approach to data centre development and delivery; I am thrilled to welcome John and Alison, whose industry experience sets us up for success,” said Patrick Smets, Chief Executive Officer of Submer Group.

He added: “As Submer evolves into a fully integrated, full-stack AI infrastructure group spanning land and power, manufacturing, thermal and product architecture, AI intelligence, compute across core data centres and edge environments, and now data centre development and operations with Rubix, we’re creating a future-ready foundation built for performance, efficiency and global scale.”

One of Submer’s backers also highlighted the sector’s investment case.

“M&G Catalyst Funds are focused on supporting purpose-led technology companies that are driving the transition to a sustainable economy. As we expand our full-stack AI infrastructure capability with the Submer group of companies, our Rubix capability signifies real potential to develop and operate leading energy-efficient AI data centres and broaden the appeal for long-term investors in this asset class,” said Zachary Webb, Head of EMEA Investments at M&G Catalyst.

The subscription-based meal provider opened its Banbury distribution centre known as The Granary in May 2016.

The 237,000 sq ft facility is at Chalker Way and remains a vital production hub for the company’s UK operations.

HelloFresh said 271 people work at Banbury, but if the company closes it after a consultation, it’s expected jobs will be lost.

In a statement, the company said its distribution centre in Derby is now better equipped that Banbury.

A spokesman for HelloFresh said: “We have made the difficult decision to propose to close our Banbury site, subject to consultation.

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“After an extensive review of our operations, our initial proposal is that consolidating to a single, more technologically advanced site is the right course of action to ensure the long-term viability and efficiency of the business.

“Our Windmill site is equipped with technology that enables greater operational complexity and delivers an expanding menu with flexible ingredient options.

“These capabilities require a single, centralised footprint to operate efficiently.

“We will now enter a period of consultation with our employees on our proposal and to consider all reasonable alternatives.

“Our focus will be on supporting affected employees, including exploring redeployment opportunities.

“The proposed closure of the facility is not a reflection of the local teams’ performance, and we are grateful for all their hard work and commitment to date.”

During the pandemic, HelloFresh employed a further 400 people on top of its workforce to help meet the burgeoning demand.

But last year, the German company was forced to make 900 UK job cuts with the closure of the delivery site in Nuneaton.

According to the Guardian, demand for meal kits tumbled as revenue fell by more than 11 per cent during 2025 ahead of the closure.

It was reported in March that the share price has plummeted by 93 per cent since the 2021 boom during Covid lockdowns.

Total orders slumped 12 per cent last year compared with 2024 as the number of meals it delivered tumbled by more than 100 million.

The spokesman added: “The HelloFresh team has told colleagues today to allow them time to reflect on the proposal and their options.

“The business now enters into a period of collective consultation where HelloFresh will explore every avenue to minimise or avoid job losses, including identifying potential opportunities for redeployment within HelloFresh. 

“It is early in the process, and HelloFresh will follow all of the guidelines around a consultation process, supporting and engaging with our employees throughout.

“The site remains operational until October 31, but we are sharing information with our employees as early as possible in the interest of transparency.”