Reimagining infrastructure with Digital Twins

On 19 June, I attended the launch of techUK’s Green Paper on the Future of Digital Twinning in the UK—an event that opened my eyes to the transformative potential of this emerging technology.

The event, held at techUK’s London office, brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and technologists to explore how Digital Twin technology—virtual models that mirror and simulate real-world systems using real-time data—can revolutionise sectors such as infrastructure, energy, and public services. The discussions highlighted the urgent need for a nationally coordinated, government-backed approach to accelerate adoption, ensure interoperability, and secure the UK’s leadership in this space.

The Green Paper positions Digital Twins as critical digital infrastructure, essential for improving productivity, achieving Net Zero goals, and enhancing societal resilience. For the energy and infrastructure sectors in particular, this shift is both urgent and full of opportunity.

From static assets to living systems

Digital Twins enable real-time monitoring, simulation, and optimisation. In infrastructure, this means moving beyond static blueprints to living models that evolve with the asset. Whether it’s a bridge, a power station, or a city-wide energy grid, digital twins allow stakeholders to simulate scenarios, predict failures, and optimise performance across the asset lifecycle.

The Green Paper highlights how this capability is already being realised. For example, the Teesside Digital Twin integrates offshore wind, hydrogen, and solar assets into a unified model, enabling smarter energy planning and emissions reduction. Similarly, the Five Wells prison project demonstrates how digital twins can drive operational efficiency and carbon savings through AI-informed building management.

The digital backbone meets its twin

Data centres, the backbone of our digital economy, are increasingly turning to digital twins to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. By creating real-time virtual models of their operations—from cooling systems to energy use—operators can simulate scenarios, optimise performance, and reduce emissions. Digital twins enable predictive maintenance, dynamic energy management, and integration with renewable sources, all while supporting Net Zero goals. As these facilities grow in complexity and importance, federated digital twins could help coordinate performance across regions, making the UK’s digital infrastructure smarter, greener, and more resilient.

As the Green Paper suggests, treating digital twins as critical digital infrastructure means extending their benefits to the very systems that power our digital future. Data centres, as both enablers and beneficiaries of this technology, are a natural frontier for innovation.

Unlocking net zero and resilience

The energy sector faces a dual challenge: decarbonising rapidly while ensuring resilience and affordability. Digital twins offer a powerful tool to meet both goals. By simulating multi-vector energy systems—integrating electricity, hydrogen, and heat—organisations can test decarbonisation pathways before committing to costly infrastructure changes.

The University of Strathclyde’s work with SP Energy Networks, cited in the report, shows how digital twins can model clean energy networks in real time, supporting both sustainability and grid stability. This kind of predictive capability is essential as we transition to more distributed, intermittent energy sources.

From fragmentation to federation

One of the most pressing issues raised in the Green Paper is the need for interoperability and standardisation. Today, many digital twins are siloed—built for single assets or organisations. To unlock their full potential, especially in infrastructure and energy, we need federated systems that can share data securely across sectors and regions.

This requires not just technical standards, but also trust frameworks, governance models, and a national strategy. The proposed National Digital Twinning Network (NDTN) and the “One Project, One District, One Nation” model offer a blueprint for coordinated, scalable deployment.

Call to action

The message is clear: digital twins are not a luxury—they are a necessity. For the UK to lead in energy innovation and infrastructure performance, we must treat digital twinning as a strategic priority. That means investing in skills, supporting open standards, and embedding digital twins into every stage of infrastructure planning and delivery.

As the Green Paper puts it, “Digital Twins are the only scalable way to close the performance gap between design and real-world output.” For energy and infrastructure leaders, the time to act is now.