Data Centres Hka S Predictions For 2026 Dla Piper

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 2, 2026, 11:00 AM

data centres hka s predictions for 2026 dla piper

This article has been written by Helen Collie, Gerry Brannigan and Ken McLean from the global consultancy HKA. Client requirements and rapid technological evolution are driving a surge in power and cooling demands that is fundamentally transforming data centre design. AI-driven compute density (ie, the concentration of computational power required for artificial intelligence tasks), sustainability mandates, and fire safety considerations require seamless integration across all disciplines. While traditional design templates may remain suitable for their original intent, such as storage, they will be increasingly obsolete for accommodating future AI-driven equipment and workloads. This will lead to challenges such as insufficient grid capacity. Future designs must incorporate new technologies early, including advanced cooling strategies and energy recovery solutions, such as heat network connections.

Success will hinge on collaborative design processes, with IT equipment providers, specialist designers, and construction professionals working together from the outset to anticipate change rather than react to it. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems significantly contribute to the complexity of data centre design. Escalating power and cooling requirements, driven by AI workloads, are prompting the adoption and research of advanced technologies such as liquid and immersion cooling. These systems require early integration and precise planning to avoid clashes and inefficiencies. Late-stage changes in equipment specifications amplify risk, making MEP coordination the critical path for successful delivery. Data centre projects demand significant and complex coordination exercises, particularly with MEP systems, to ensure mission-critical equipment is housed safely and efficiently.

Speed-to-build pressures often clash with this need for precision, and late tenant-driven changes or delayed equipment procurement can trigger costly redesigns and delays. Combined with an industry-wide skills shortage and gaps in scope under traditional procurement, structural delivery risks remain high despite seemingly simple structural intent. AI-driven power and cooling demands will redefine design standards Charting the Future of Data Center, Cloud, and AI Infrastructure Ed. Note - Data Center Frontier's annual Trends Scorecard and 8 Trends That Will Shape the Data Center Industry articles will appear soon.

In the meantime, we give you DCF Editor-at-Large Melissa Reali's assessment of the top five data center, AI and digital infrastructure trends for the year just past, with predictions for what lies ahead in... - MV This year not only stretched our industry, but exposed our fault lines. To wrap 2025 data center industry trends, the emerging sentiment is that our industry is being forced into adulthood: data centers can no longer behave like passive grid customers or anonymous real estate investment... Power independence, active policy alignment, and more sophisticated capital stacks will determine who actually delivers capacity in a world where innovation and ambition still far exceed what the grid, permitting, and supply chains can... As 2025 closes the digital backbone did not simply expand; it bifurcated into power‑rich and power‑poor regions, aligned and misaligned policy regimes, and well‑capitalized versus stranded capacity.

Connectivity, data, and computation move fully into the realm of economic statecraft, where questions of data center access, control, and investment are argued as much in ministries and sovereign funds as they are in... Our latest Global Construction Bulletin highlights how data centres are powering the modern digital economy and critical infrastructure worldwide. Richard Edwards and paul giles, alongside our global teams, discuss the growing data centre sector, its risks and opportunities for stakeholders, and HKA’s key forecasts for 2026 construction trends. Discover how the evolving data centre landscape is shaping key jurisdictions including Germany, Australia, Canada, the UK, South Africa, and Middle East. Our Global Construction Bulletin provides insights on legislation and case law affecting the construction, engineering, and infrastructure industries around the globe. http://spr.ly/6043CPaQ7 #Construction #Disputes #DataCentres #DigitalInfrastructure

As we enter 2026, the global data center industry is at a critical turning point. Historic absorption rates over the past year have been driven by the growing demand for AI infrastructure. In this episode of the datacenterHawk podcast, Founder and CEO David Liggitt joins regional leaders Ed Socia (North America), David Sandars (EMEA), Dedi Iskandar (APAC), and Steve Sasse (Latin America) to analyze key trends... North America leads in data center development, but the growth is shifting geographically. Regional Director Ed Socia highlights a movement toward nontraditional markets like North Dakota, Wyoming, and Missouri, driven by available power and the need to avoid community pushback. AI providers are building large, master-planned campuses in these areas.

Regions like West Texas are seeing plans for massive 1-gigawatt projects, although network latency keeps traditional hubs like Chicago and Northwest Indiana relevant. Additionally, smaller enterprise demand (20-50MW) is carving a niche alongside hyperscale developments, signaling diverse growth within the market. In Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, diversification is the name of the game. Regional Director David Sandars notes a slowdown in speculative building, with some projects delayed until 2026 or 2027. Interest is expanding beyond traditional FLAP-D markets to areas like Zaragoza, Spain, and parts of Eastern Europe, including Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The Middle East is emerging as a major AI hub, with plans for multi-gigawatt campuses.

Its strategic location between Europe and Asia is attracting investments not only from western hyperscalers but also from countries like South Korea, keen to support their tech industries. Here are our predictions for 2026 on how Data Centre environments will evolve and what you will need to do globally and in Australia. Artificial intelligence (AI) workloads and real-time digital services are reshaping the physics, economics, and regulation of data centres. By 2026, firm power access, liquid cooling, higher voltage/DC distribution, and granular sustainability reporting will define competitive advantage. In Australia, these trends meet a unique mix of grid constraints, strong privacy/cyber regulation, and rapid 5G/edge expansion. This article distils our predictions for 2026 and the practical steps enterprises should take to stay ahead.

OK let’s get the Elephant in the Room out there straight away. As AI adoption accelerates, Data Centres face an unprecedented surge in electricity demand. The International Energy Agency projects global Data Centre power consumption to more than double by 2030, making grid access the single biggest constraint for new capacity. Power availability is now the gating factor for site selection, driving operators toward hybrid solutions such as onsite generation, microgrids, and firm power purchase agreements (PPAs) to reduce “time to power.” In Australia, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has begun forecasting Data Centre demand separately in its National Electricity Market outlook, anticipating significant growth through 2034–35. Reliability will depend on timely delivery of generation, storage, and transmission infrastructure.

What enterprises must do – Secure firm PPAs early, explore behind-the-meter battery storage, and consider hybrid onsite generation. Align expansion plans with AEMO’s ESOO reliability projections to mitigate grid constraints and ensure sustainable growth. The rise of AI workloads is transforming Data Centre design. Average rack densities have doubled in recent years, with AI clusters now reaching 60–120 kW per rack, and next-generation systems pushing even higher. Traditional air cooling, which typically caps out at around 20 kW per rack, can no longer keep pace. This shift makes direct-to-chip liquid cooling essential for AI training and inference environments.

Global data centre investors and operators are confident about the sector’s future and predict increased investment in data centres in the next two years, according to research by DLA Piper. The global law firm commissioned TMT Finance to survey 176 senior executives on the topic of data centre investment opportunities and related emerging trends such as access to power and the impact of AI. The findings are included in a new report which highlights that AI will drive demand for data centres, primarily through machine learning and natural language processing. However, respondents have expressed significant concern over the stability of power supplies for the rapidly-growing number of data centre sites worldwide. A total of 98 per cent of investors and operators told the global law firm that they had concerns about the availability and reliability of power supplies when they made decisions about data centre... Global data centre investors and operators are confident about the sector's future, new data shows.

The research by DLA Piper reveals that 70% of respondents are predicting increased investment in data centres in the next two years. Nearly all of those surveyed expect AI to drive demand for data centres, mainly through machine learning and natural language processing. However, respondents expressed concern about the stability of power supplies for the growing number of data centre sites around the world. A total of 98% of investors and operators said they were concerned about the availability and reliability of power supplies when they made decisions about data centre projects, with half of respondents identifying the... Global investors and operators in the data centre industry are optimistic about the sector's growth, with 70 percent expecting increased investment over the next two years, according to research by DLA Piper. The anticipated growth is driven largely by rising demand for artificial intelligence, particularly in machine learning and natural language processing.

However, the report highlighted significant challenges, particularly regarding the stability and reliability of power supplies. Nearly all respondents (98 percent) expressed concerns about power availability, with half identifying it as the primary barrier to investment. Utility companies, especially in the United States, are reportedly overwhelmed by power delivery requests for data centre sites, which may not be fulfilled until the 2030s. To address these challenges, utility companies are increasingly demanding large upfront, non-refundable payments from investors. Developers are also being required to cover the costs of critical infrastructure, such as substations, needed to connect data centres to the grid. The global data centre market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10 percent over the next five years, reaching an estimated value of US$483.15 billion by 2029, up from...

💡 Delighted to share this piece from DLA Piper's Global Construction Bulletin where 3 of HKA's experts (Gerry Brannigan, Helen Collie and Ken McLean) share some insights on Data Centres: Future design considerations 2026+...

Data Centres Hka S Predictions For 2026 Dla Piper

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