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What is the future of data centers? It’s an interesting question in large part because, on the surface, it doesn’t seem like there’s much room for change with how data centers are built. At the end of the day, data centers house IT racks that generate heat which must be dissipated in order to create efficient computing. The future of data centers is not necessarily about changing the core components of IT infrastructure — it’s more about thinking of these components in a more flexible way that allows for greater adaptability and scalability, especially given the rapid increase in AI data centers.

The number of data centers across the globe is increasing. While this is good news for data center engineers, it does pose a significant operational challenge when it comes to the amount of energy required to power these IT facilities. This, in turn, will require new regulations to be put in place. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that data centers account for about 1% of global energy demand. But by 2030 it’s estimated that the demand for data center energy will increase by more than 160%. In the U.S. alone, data center workloads are expected to increase by 10% annually through 2030, and this means more energy necessary to power this kind of advanced computing.

Companies are more concerned with leveraging digital technology to help increase performance and resilience to market fluctuations than ever before. Companies that digitalize their processes can more easily overcome labor shortages while simplifying the manufacturing of custom industrial automation infrastructure. Digitalizing the industrial enclosure design and modification process can help companies accelerate their speed-to-market and respond to sudden changes in production or design specs without incurring costly downtime.