Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to impact life in countless different ways. The facilities management industry is no different, as managers begin incorporating the technology into their operations in addition to the ways leaders in institutional and commercial are using AI in their operations.
The result? A surge in cloud computing, digital transformation, and AI, the data center industry continues to gain momentum and experience tremendous growth. It’s a challenge for managers of data centers across the United States.
“We live in a digital age, and with that comes the reality that businesses across all sectors are digitizing their operations, which requires more data storage and processing capabilities,” says Dylan Griffith, data center operations director at JLL. “Technologies like AI, cryptocurrency, streaming, and digital banking are at the core of the demand and the trend of the industry growth is likely to persist as new technologies emerge and the existing evolve.”
Indeed, JLL’s recent 2025 Global Data Center Outlook indicates that the tremendous growth in AI and machine learning is prompting a fundamental shift in data center design, site selection and investment approach.
According to JLL, “over the next five years, consumers and businesses will generate twice as much data as all the data created over the past 10 years, prompting data center storage capacity to grow from 10.1 zettabytes (ZB) in 2023 to an expected 21.0 ZB in 2027.
Maura Keller is a freelance writer based in Plymouth, Minnesota.
