Nearly 100GW of new data centers will be developed between 2026 and 2030, doubling global capacity, according to a report by JLL.
This unprecedented demand for digital infrastructure is fuelled by the increase in uptake of AI technologies, and in 2026, as many AI models move from test cases to commercial use, the data center industry will have to scale at an incredibly rapid rate.
The European Commission has announced plans to set up AI gigafactories across Europe and has proposed the Cloud and AI Development Act to bolster the continent’s digital infrastructure at speed. This is progress for the industry, but there are significant risks involved when the speed of development overtakes innovation and operational credibility, risking a fragmented, untrusted long-term legacy.
One risk is the very real possibility of stringent, sweeping EU / government regulations aimed at ensuring consistency and adherence to industry standards. And whilst that in itself is a positive step, enforceable mandates could promote complex administrative procedures that are less flexible or do not consider local nuances that result in slower decision-making and ultimately stifle innovation.
With as many as 83 percent of businesses citing AI as a top priority for future plans, the momentum of high-performance digital infrastructure development will undoubtedly impact the global economy. As a result, data center operators must take charge of this critical trend by scaling in a responsible way, or risk not being able to scale at all.
