Onnec Report: AI Disruption Redefines Data Centre Design
AI has become a defining force in the way data centre infrastructure is designed, built, and maintained. To understand how operators are responding to this shift, Onnec surveyed 250 senior decision makers across the UK, Ireland, and the Nordics. The results, published in our latest report, reveal a data centre sector in transition – innovating rapidly to support AI workloads, yet grappling with mounting complexity, skills shortages, and geopolitical disruption.
Key findings from the report include:
- 92% of operators have seen rising demand for AI capacity in the past year, with an average increase of 42%.
- 74% are rethinking power, cooling and location strategies to keep pace.
- 79% say that skills shortages will delay projects.
- 70% believe poor quality cabling will compromise long-term AI readiness.
- 58% expect AI to shorten the lifespan of today’s data centres.
These pressures are forcing operators to reconsider how they design and future-proof their infrastructure. Whether retrofitting existing facilities or building new ones, the message is clear: siloed decisions are no longer sustainable.
Instead, holistic design – where all elements from cabling to power are considered as one – is fast becoming essential. But with 70% of respondents having experienced costly design rework due to fragmented decision-making, there is little margin for error.
The AI race is global, but protectionist policies are forcing operators to make cost-based decisions that will limit the quality of infrastructure they can deliver. With AI evolving so fast, operators need to make sure data centres are built to last.
Niklas Lindqvist, General Manager, Onnec Nordics
Download the full report to discover the five principles of holistic design, the emerging challenges operators face, and how foundational technologies like high-quality cabling can make or break AI readiness.
About the survey
The Onnec survey was conducted by Censuswide between 30 April and 9 May 2025. It interviewed 250 senior decision makers involved with the design, management and running of facilities for data centre operators (hyperscaler/cloud providers, enterprise, colocation providers etc.) in the UK
(100), Ireland (50) and Nordics (100). The survey was carried out online.