Datacentres in the UK are to be designated as critical national infrastructure in an effort to protect them from cyber-attacks and IT blackouts, the government has said.

The buildings store much of the data generated in the UK, including photos taken on smartphones, financial information and NHS records.

The critical national infrastructure (CNI) categorisation means datacentres will be on the same footing as water, energy and emergency service systems, and therefore receive greater government support to anticipate and recover from adverse incidents such as cyber-attacks, outages or environmental disasters.

The government said the move – the first CNI designation in almost a decade – would help protect critical data infrastructure and provide businesses with reassurance to help bolster economic growth in an increasingly digital world.

The datacentre industry generates an estimated £4.6bn a year in revenues, and the UK is home to the highest number of datacentres in western Europe.

The technology secretary, Peter Kyle, said: “Datacentres are the engines of modern life. They power the digital economy and keep our most personal information safe.

“Bringing datacentres into the critical national infrastructure regime will allow better coordination and cooperation with the government against cyber-criminals and unexpected events.”

The government also welcomed a proposed £3.75bn investment in creating Europe’s largest datacentre in Hertfordshire by the data firm DC01UK, which it said would create more than 700 jobs locally and support thousands more across the country.

Kyle said: “The huge £3.75bn private investment announced today in Hertfordshire is a vote of confidence in those plans and a clear example of my determination to ensure technological advancements are helping to grow our economy and create wealth across the country.”

Amazon Web Services (AWS) also announced plans this week to invest £8bn in the UK over the next five years on building, operating and maintaining datacentres, for which it was one of the world’s biggest providers.