FM newsroom – data centres, facility management, AI. Artificial intelligence is transforming data centre operations at an unprecedented pace, driving a need for higher power density, greater flexibility and faster access to energy. For facilities managers, this shift marks a fundamental redesign of how digital infrastructure is planned, built and maintained.
AI Drives Global Data Centre Expansion
Data centres worldwide are entering a period of rapid growth, largely powered by the rise of AI. Global capacity is projected to nearly double from 103 gigawatts (GW) today to 200 GW by 2030, according to JLL’s 2026 Global Data Center Outlook. AI workloads alone could account for half of all capacity by the decade’s end.
This demand signals a major shift in how sites are engineered and supported. As Matt Landek, global division president for data centres and critical environments at JLL, explains to FacilitiesNet:
“This is not a component-level discussion anymore… we’re experiencing a full redesign of the facility.”
Rising Power Density Redefines Operations
AI tasks require far higher power density than traditional data centres—sometimes up to 10 times as much. Racks can now reach 40–100 kilowatts (kW), pushing cooling, power distribution and floor layouts to their limits.
Once considered outdated, liquid cooling is returning to support these high-density environments. Even so, Landek emphasises that “one size does not fit all,” as power and cooling needs vary widely across organisations.
With chip technologies and workloads changing rapidly, facilities risk becoming obsolete within a decade. The report underscores that retrofits are unavoidable: within 10 years of operation, roughly 65 percent of data centres undergo significant renovations. Flexibility—such as managing stranded capacity and preserving space—has become a core design strategy.
The Critical Race for Power
Grid constraints are reshaping planning strategies. Utility interconnections in many markets can now take more than four years, making “speed to power” a decisive factor in site selection.
Power planning cannot be treated as a secondary consideration after a location is chosen because of this. As a result, facilities teams are now involved much earlier in development, working directly with utilities during site-selection and exploring on-site power generation. These assets traditionally sat outside the facilities management remit, but that is changing fast.
Many organisations are still relying on external partners for power operations, but within three to five years, energy expertise is expected to become a standard competency for facilities professionals. Expanded training and upskilling will be essential.
Modular Construction Gains Momentum
To keep pace with demand, operators are increasingly turning to prefabricated and modular data centre solutions. JLL projects that modular and micro data centres will generate USD 48 billion in annual sales by 2030.
Modular systems offer benefits in standardisation, training and operational consistency, though they may reduce future flexibility. Even so, Landek says these solutions bring clear advantages for facilities teams by speeding deployment and simplifying expansion.
A Transformative Moment for Facilities Managers
Despite rising complexity, the AI boom brings new opportunities for facilities professionals. Managers are moving closer to strategic decision-making as organisations grapple with unprecedented energy, cooling, and design challenges.
“There has never been a more exciting time to be a facilities manager,” as Landek puts it.