AI Drives Data Center Uncertainty in Uptime’s 2026 Survey
Uptime’s 2026 survey shows AI raising costs and density while narrowing management focus, as operators hedge with phased builds and struggle to forecast capacity.
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Uptime Institute's 2026 survey of over 1,600 data center participants reveals that artificial intelligence is creating widespread uncertainty about future costs, capacity needs, and operational challenges across the sector. AI is compressing multiple risk factors, pushing rack density higher, driving workloads to third-party facilities, and forcing operators to adopt phased building approaches rather than committing to full capacity upfront. Cost remains the top management concern for the fourth consecutive year, though capacity forecasting has risen nearly to the same level of worry, alongside concerns about supply chain disruptions, power availability, and meeting AI infrastructure needs. The survey shows operators struggling to forecast how quickly and extensively AI will drive demand, with pressures rippling through equipment costs, power prices, staffing expenses, and colocation rates across the entire industry.
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