FEATURE
By 2030, analysts estimate that up to 70 % of global IT demand will require AI-ready facilities across Europe and North America. These templates are useful as they give operators a path for consistent, fast and predictable delivery at scale.
That being said, they only work when they are adapted to the local market in which they are being deployed. Capacity, environmental constraints, planning processes and supply chains differ widely across APAC. Applying global standards broadly introduces more risk than it reduces. This risk causes delays and increased costs, reducing the benefits of the reference design.
As a result, for APAC to realise its data centre growth, it will need to rely on a global supply chain with decades of experience in other markets. The ability to mobilise globally experienced and locally knowledgeable teams across borders to coordinate delivery when adapting designs will become increasingly valuable. This is because it requires not exclusively technical ability but also cultural awareness and an understanding of local codes, municipality approval processes and market conditions.
Building for the next decade
For operators and investors, the value of global expertise falls into risk management. Facilities built and delivered today must remain viable for workloads that are changing at unparalleled speeds. Understanding where design decisions will affect workloads far in the future is necessary to introduce flexibility into the design and save costs later.
Across APAC, the opportunity is clear. Demand is strong, capital is available and the digital economy continues to expand. But success will depend on applying lessons learned in mature markets with the subtlety necessary for local conditions. Shared industry knowledge at a global level will unlock APAC’ s – as well as others’ – data centre pipeline. n
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INTELLIGENT CIO APAC www. intelligentcio. com