AI and Sustainability: The Driving Forces Behind Data Centre Innovation in 2025 (Soben Report)

February 2024, Glasgow – The data centre industry is at a crossroads as AI-driven demand pushes power, sustainability, and workforce challenges to critical levels. Global construction consultancy, Soben, explores these pressing issues in its newly published Data Centre Trends 2025: Power, AI, and Progress report, revealing bold solutions to the complex problems reshaping the sector.

The report delves into the transformative impact of AI, driving unprecedented growth in hyperscale facilities and low-latency urban data centres across the region. Meanwhile, ambitious sustainability goals are leading operators to invest in renewable energy hubs, advanced cooling technologies, and, increasingly, nuclear power as an alternative energy source. 

“AI is reshaping the data centre industry at a pace no one anticipated,” said Scott Smyth, Soben’s Founder and CEO. “The 2025 trends report underscores the challenges this growth presents, but also the opportunities for innovation in power generation, cooling, and operational efficiency.” 

Sustainability remains a dominant theme, with regions like the Nordics and Scotland emerging as leaders in renewable energy-powered data centres. Governments in these areas are streamlining planning processes, enhancing renewable energy capacity, and investing in infrastructure upgrades to attract investment and meet the region’s digital demands. 

“EMEA is setting a global example by aligning bold government initiatives with operator-driven innovation,” said Pieter Schaap, Soben’s Group Development Director. “Collaboration and adaptability will be key to unlocking the region’s full potential and overcoming the challenges ahead.” 

Key highlights for the EMEA region include: 

• Urban innovation: Growing demand for low-latency solutions is driving investments in edge and urban data centres across major European cities. 

• Sustainable solutions: Operators are adopting cutting-edge technologies, such as advanced cooling systems and alternative energy solutions, to align with the region’s ambitious climate goals. 

The Data Centre Trends 2025 report is an essential resource for developers, operators, and stakeholders across the data centre industry. 

Access the full report and gain insights into the trends at www.sobencc.com/DCTrends2025