The Uptime Institute has published its fourteenth edition of the report on the state of data centers, revealing a series of key challenges and trends in the sector. Among the most significant findings are a decrease in confidence in artificial intelligence (AI) and insufficient attention to sustainability metrics.
Stability in PUE with Advances in New Facilities
The report indicates that average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) levels have remained stable for five consecutive years. However, this stability hides significant improvements in newer and larger facilities. These new constructions have achieved PUEs of 1.3 or even better, contrasting with the sector average. With the construction of new data centers reaching record numbers to meet growing demand, it is expected that these more efficient facilities will help reduce the average PUE in the future.
Increase in Server Rack Density
The average density of server racks has shown an increase, although it still remains below 8-10 kW. Most installations do not have racks exceeding 30 kW, and those that do are quite limited. A change in this trend is anticipated in the coming years, driven by increasing demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence.
Weak Tracking of Sustainability Metrics
Less than half of data center owners and operators track the necessary metrics to evaluate their sustainability. This lack of tracking affects the ability to comply with regulatory requirements and presents a critical area for improvement in the sector.
Decrease in Confidence in Artificial Intelligence
Despite widespread recognition of the benefits of AI, confidence in its application in data center operations has decreased for the third consecutive year. While most operators still trust a well-trained AI model to make operational decisions, the proportion of this confidence has decreased by almost 20 percentage points since 2022. Publicized failures of generative AI systems in 2023 and 2024 seem to have contributed to this decline in confidence.
Stability in Failure and Downtime Frequency
The frequency and severity of interruptions in data centers have remained virtually unchanged compared to 2023, with some minor improvements. Operators are managing the increase in complexity and density of workloads with investments and effective management.
Dominance of Hybrid IT Architectures
Hybrid architectures continue to dominate the IT landscape, with more than half of workloads (55%) located outside physical facilities. However, many companies still maintain their own data centers. The proportion of workloads in public cloud is expected to be lower than anticipated, with a projection of 13% for 2026, compared to the 15% anticipated for 2025 in last year’s report.
Persistent Challenges in Personnel Management
Challenges related to personnel in the sector have not shown significant improvements since 2023. Greater efforts are needed to expand the workforce and skill sets to meet the growing demand in the sector.
The Uptime Institute report highlights the need to address these critical areas to improve the resilience, sustainability, and efficiency of data centers in an ever-evolving technological environment.
Reference: Uptime Institute Study (Source: https://uptimeinstitute.com/resources/research-and-reports/uptime-institute-global-data-center-survey-results-2024)