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Google says US transmission system is biggest challenge for connecting data centers Connecting to the U.S. electrical transmission system has become the biggest problem for powering up Google data centers on the grid, as the wait times to connect surge to more than a decade in some p...

Power grid delays are slowing new datacentre builds worldwide:
• In the US, connecting to the grid can take many years
• In Europe, limited power slows new sites
• Some Asia-Pacific markets move faster due to available power

www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

2026 Global Data Center Outlook Navigating AI demand, power constraints and global opportunities in 2026

2026 datacenter outlook shows regional constraints diverging.

• UK/EU: power access & permitting limit delivery
• US: grid capacity & interconnect timelines constrain scale
• APAC: land, power & policy cap supply in key markets

www.jll.com/en-uk/insigh...

Privacy will be under unprecedented attack in 2026 | Computer Weekly The UK and Europe are ramping up opposition to encryption and stepping up surveillance of private communications. Here is what to expect this year.

The UK wants power to access encrypted messages.
The concern isn’t 'today’s' use case, it’s creation of permanent access mechanisms that weaken privacy, security, and trust for everyone over time.

www.computerweekly.com/news/3666367...

2026 Global Data Center Outlook Navigating AI demand, power constraints and global opportunities in 2026

Global datacentre capacity forecast to nearly double by 2030.

• ~100 GW new capacity expected 2026–30
• AI could account for ~half of workloads by 2030
• Investment may exceed $3T in new datacentre real estate

Impact: global market, infrastructure planners, buyers
www.jll.com/en-uk/insigh...

Colocation markets are expanding unevenly across regions.

• Singapore leads SE Asia with >780 MW colocation capacity
• Malaysia & Indonesia are emerging growth hubs
• Regional supply differences now shape real choice

Impact: enterprises, operators, buyers

(Source: Businesswire)

US Tech Giants to Invest $1.2T in AI Data Centers Amid Overcapacity Risks U.S. tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta are set to invest $1.2 trillion in AI data centers over three years, driven by surging demand for computing power. Globally, investments may r...

AI growth doesn’t just increase demand, it changes how capacity is chosen.

• Delivery timelines shape strategy
• Late comparisons force expensive compromises

www.webpronews.com/us-tech-gian...

Gartner Forecasts Worldwide IT Spending to Grow 9.8% in 2026, Exceeding $6 Trillion For the First Time Worldwide IT spending is expected to total $6.08 trillion in 2026, an increase of 9.8% from 2025, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

2026 tech spending signals:

• Global IT spend passes $6T
• AI and infrastructure lead growth
• Long-term bets outweigh short-term optimisation

Impact: markets, boards & public-sector planning

www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/...

The next AI divide won’t be intelligence -> it will be scale.

• Many organisations can build models, but
• Fewer can run them reliably at volume
• Infrastructure limits become business limits

Impact: enterprises, investors & customers downstream

www.forbes.com/sites/steven...

The trends that will shape AI and tech in 2026 | IBM Reporter Anabelle Nicoud spoke to several experts across AI, security, quantum and beyond to better understand where tech will take us in 2026.

AI in 2026 stops being just a “feature”

• AI systems move from pilots to core operations
• Reliability, cost, & governance matter more than novelty
• Failures now affect whole businesses, not teams

Impact: business leaders, markets & everyday users

www.ibm.com/think/news/a...

An observation: the datacentre arms race is no longer hidden. Demand for power, land and water is influencing planning and infrastructure choices. For many communities, AI growth is now something experienced locally, no longer something quietly built at arms length and out of sight...

UK to shift more research funding into AI and video games Ten sectors, including the creative industries and life sciences, will share £12bn over four years

The UK is putting more money into tech like AI, games and clean energy. It shows the government wants faster growth and global relevance.
Tech firms and startups will be happy.
Traditional research areas may be disappointed as funding becomes more selective.

www.ft.com/content/cbb1...

Drax plans to convert part of its North Yorkshire power plant into datacentre Plans are response to surge in demand for AI capability and come after government signalled it would curb subsidies

Drax plans to convert part of its North Yorkshire power station into a 100MW datacentre by 2027, repurposing legacy energy infrastructure to meet surging compute demand.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Amazon to invest $7bn to expand cloud data centre in T | Hyderabad News - The Times of India Hyderabad: A day after it announced plans to pump in $35 billion into India, tech giant Amazon's AWS (Amazon Web Services) inked a strategic framework.

AWS isn’t just chasing cost here, its considerations will also be:
demand growth
data sovereignty
grid-scale expansion
engineering talent
state incentives
long-term headroom

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderab...

These 5 chip stocks are set to be the big winners of Amazon's latest AI push, BofA says Amazon's latest AI push is another bullish signal for the AI trade, BofA says, and it should boost a handful of hardware stocks.

Analysts highlight Nvidia + interconnect vendors as AI’s next big winners.

Why it matters: We’re hitting bandwidth ceilings. The next performance gains won’t just come from GPUs — but from the network fabric that feeds them.

www.businessinsider.com/chip-stocks-...

More than 200 environmental groups demand halt to new US datacenters Exclusive: Congress urged to act against energy-hungry facilities blamed for increasing bills and worsening climate crisis

230+ groups call for a pause on new US datacentres.

Why it matters: Public opposition is becoming a real limiter on AI expansion. Energy, water and land-use politics are now part of the datacentre business model.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

NextEra expands Google Cloud partnership, secures clean energy contracts with Meta NextEra Energy expanded its partnership with Alphabet's Google Cloud to scale up data center capacity, while securing over 2.5 gigawatts of clean energy contracts from Meta across the U.S., the compan...

Google and Meta push huge new clean energy datacentre builds.

Why it matters: AI growth is now bottlenecked more by power than compute. Big tech is vertically integrating energy supply just to keep scaling.

www.reuters.com/business/ene...

IBM accelerates cloud drive with $11 billion Confluent deal as AI demand booms IBM said on Monday it will buy data infrastructure company Confluent in a deal valued at $11 billion, ramping up its cloud-computing offerings to capitalize on an AI-driven demand boom.

IBM buys Confluent for $11B.
A major bet on real-time data streaming.

Why it matters: AI systems depend on live data flows, not static datasets. This deal signals a shift: enterprise AI may be built on streaming-first architectures.

www.reuters.com/legal/transa...

This projection shows what the 2035 data-centre landscape looks like if today’s trends simply continue. It’s a useful baseline, but not a true forecast—real outcomes will shift with power limits, regulation, geopolitics, AI efficiency and energy breakthroughs

Where global compute lives:

-US & China dominate installed datacentre power, shaping who leads in AI and cloud.
-EU sits a distant third.
-Japan, Korea & India rising fast.

Capacity = compute potential — this snapshot shows the balance.

Useful for spotting regional density and growth patterns.

Important Note:
The ‘12k DC’ stat in pic only counts commercial colocation sites.
Excludes hyperscale campuses, enterprise on-prem, telco/edge, CDN and government facilities.
When you include everything, the real global footprint is 200k+

Power supply constraints slowing EMEA data centre rollout, report says Data centre capacity growth across Europe, the Middle East and Africa has slowed down in 2025 so far compared to the same period last year, despite surging demand, as a lack of available power delays ...

Power shortages are slowing EMEA datacentre growth (Reuters), with 91% already leased.

Supply can’t keep up with AI demand.

Result: capacity crunch, pricing pressure and a likely shift toward efficient colocation providers.

www.reuters.com/business/ene...

Equinix has committed £3.9 billion for a new 250 MW-plus datacentre in South Mimms/Hertfordshire.

What we can infer: Large scale investment is shifting to regional UK sites, signalling that capacity & location will matter more than just “build in London”.

Asana’s 2025 report warns 79% of firms risk “AI debt” by adopting AI without guardrails.
Trust is low, governance weak, and success hinges on redesigning workflows, not tools.

In data centres, sloppy AI could result in mis-optimised cooling, poor scheduling, and rising operational risk.

Modular datacentres could soon dominate new builds — driven by AI, edge computing, and the need for sustainable, rapid deployment. Flexibility and speed could redefine how and where digital infrastructure evolves.

-> If the market rewards agility and efficiency strongly enough.

Considering AI & lessons from the dotcom era:

Compute demand is real—unlike many dot-coms, today’s models do work and have clear use cases.

Data center growth is critical, but bottlenecks in energy, cooling, and chips could throttle momentum.

Most UK businesses don't actually know where their data is stored Nearly two-thirds don’t know if their data is stored within the EU

Your data could be sitting under another country’s laws

That can change who can see it, how it’s protected, or how you can delete it

It can affect how quickly services recover from outages or breaches

Knowing where your data lives should be more transparent

www.techradar.com/pro/most-uk-...

Frontiers | Biases in AI: acknowledging and addressing the inevitable ethical issues Biases in artificial intelligence (AI) systems pose a range of ethical issues. The myriads of biases in AI systems are briefly reviewed and divided in three ...

AI bias isn’t just a tech issue, it impacts people daily.

Key takeaways:
• Bias is inevitable, but must be managed
• It creeps in via data, design & use
• Users need transparency & recourse

www.frontiersin.org/journals/dig...

Simplified Overview: ☁️Cloud vs 🏢Colo

Cloud = fast to spin up, elastic scaling, no hardware to manage.
Colo = predictable costs, full control, dedicated performance, compliance assurance.

The smart play? Blend both based on needs and realistic assessment of workloads.

👉 stackdistrict.net

Not all change is virtual...

Over the years the DC space has improved physically from the common 'basement dwelling forgotten kit' to modern feeling deliberate setup.

Ark owner Elliott Investment looks to sell UK data center firm - report Company reportedly valued at more than £3 billion

Ark Data Centres could change hands.

Ark isn’t just another colo operator; it underpins UK government IT (through Crown Hosting and controls).

In short: this touches on energy, competition, & how critical digital infrastructure is owned.

www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/ark-...