Join Tomas Rahkonen for his session on some of the latest developments and challenges currently shaping the industry, looking beyond the more obvious trends of 2026. AI is transforming data center strategies, but its impact remains uneven due to unclear demand, complex infrastructure needs, and long development timelines. Growth in AI workloads will continue to be driven by a small number of large organizations with the resources to deploy high-density systems. Challenges in securing power, managing advanced cooling requirements and capital project delays will persist or intensify. At the same time, AI automation tools will move from pilot projects to operations, delivering measurable efficiency gains. And, as new AI applications begin to show real business value, data center operators will need targeted investments and plan carefully to keep pace.
Dr. Tomas Rahkonen, Research Director Sustainability.
