Across regions and organizational models, data center operators are facing a set of increasingly familiar trends. Infrastructure is becoming more complex, workloads more demanding and timelines more aggressive.
At the same time, the skills required to run these platforms are becoming harder to find. Services, once treated as a back-office function, are now becoming one of the central mechanisms that keep critical digital infrastructure reliable.
Vice President of Services for Vertiv, EMEA.
This evolution has not happened overnight. It reflects several shifts in the way facilities are built and operated. AI projects, new regulatory demands, thermal challenges and the geographical spread of new builds are all playing a part.
While hardware innovation remains crucial, the capacity to install, integrate, monitor and maintain that hardware now has a direct influence on long-term performance.
A market defined by higher stakes
The financial impact of disruption remains one of the most widely recognised risks in digital operations. Analysis from Oxford Economics suggests that unplanned downtime across the Global 2000 incurs annual losses in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
What is notable is not the headline figure, but the way organizations have begun to react to it. Many have shifted from planning for recovery to prioritizing planning for avoidance. Conversations about resilience no longer focus on response time, but on how systems can be prevented from failing in the first place.
This shift is particularly visible across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Demand for digital capacity continues to grow and vacancy rates are falling in several established markets. Operators are exploring regions with more accessible land or power but doing so introduces new considerations.
Transport distances for spare parts increase, familiarity with local regulation cannot be assumed and supply chains can behave unpredictably. These challenges make operational support a more significant factor in site selection and design.
Meanwhile, the major metros face another set of constraints. Power availability is tight and obtaining grid connections is becoming more complex. Land is expensive and communities expect any new facility to meet high environmental standards.
The result is a scenario where operators must plan carefully, because any gap in delivery or maintenance can cause delays that impact entire projects.
A new relationship between infrastructure and expertise
A recurring theme across operators is that technology alone does not secure resilience. Modern critical digital infrastructure involves many interdependent systems. As densities rise, these interactions become more sensitive. Liquid cooling systems depend on accurate commissioning.
Thermal performance is shaped by fluid chemistry, balance and the behavior of compressors and pumps. Electrical systems must manage higher loads with greater consistency. Running these facilities well requires expertise that spans mechanical, electrical and digital disciplines.
This is driving a more integrated view of services. Instead of thinking about isolated tasks such as installation or maintenance, organizations are beginning to see the entire lifecycle as a continuous process. Early decisions made at the design stage influence how easily equipment can be commissioned.
Commissioning affects how components will behave over time. Monitoring data reveals trends that help predict issues before they escalate. Retrofit decisions shape the efficiency and longevity of the facility. None of these stages exist alone. Services tie them together.
Growing pressures that increase the value of strong service capability
Several forces are accelerating this shift and explaining why operators are reevaluating the role of services:
• The accelerating pace of deployment
AI and hyperscale projects often operate on timelines that leave little room for delay. Bringing a site to readiness now means coordinating installation teams, validating cooling systems, aligning electrical work and providing spare parts, frequently across multiple countries. Any weak link in that chain can create significant setbacks.
• The evolution of high-density computing
Workloads that draw tens of kilowatts per rack introduce new stress points across a facility. Small deviations in thermal behavior often indicate deeper system drift. Without continuous monitoring and the ability to interpret early signals, operators face a higher chance of unplanned disruption.
• The expansion of environmental and energy regulation
Across Europe, legislation focused on energy performance, waste heat reuse and water reporting is becoming more detailed. Germany’s Energy Efficiency Act is one example, with clear PUE thresholds and heat reuse expectations. Revised EU requirements demand greater transparency around energy and water indicators.
Navigating these rules requires ongoing operational oversight.
• A more complex risk landscape
Higher power and fluid handling bring new responsibilities for safety. Facilities need trained engineers who understand how to work safely with electrical systems, liquid cooling, high-pressure loops and compliance processes. These capabilities cannot be improvised under pressure.
• A desire for simpler operating models
As facilities expand across regions, many operators want a more unified approach. Relying on multiple contractors for different phases creates fragmentation. Organizations increasingly look for partners who can provide continuity across planning, commissioning, monitoring, maintenance and lifecycle upgrades.
What this means for operators in practice
The practical effects of this shift can be seen across several aspects of daily operations and long-term planning. First, the industry has moved toward proactive methods of asset management.
Digital monitoring of compressors, pumps, vibration and thermal performance offers insight into early drift, often long before failure. Operators who act on these insights reduce the likelihood of emergency interventions.
Second, many data centers have room to improve utilization rates. In several sites, cooling and electrical systems have been configured conservatively, which leads to under-used capacity. Through careful optimization, operators can often improve efficiency, reduce operating costs and defer expansion.
Third, lifecycle thinking helps preserve high-value assets. Modern cooling systems, liquid distribution networks and compute equipment represent long-term investments. They benefit from structured maintenance schedules, timely component replacement and retrofit decisions that extend operational life.
Fourth, environmental and regulatory expectations are becoming part of everyday operational planning. Reporting obligations, heat reuse requirements and energy performance thresholds all influence design and maintenance.
Operators who integrate these considerations into service programs tend to meet obligations more smoothly.
Finally, a strong service model contributes to safer operations. Trained staff, consistent procedures and accurate documentation reduce the chance of incidents. This matters even more as facilities adopt technologies that rely on higher thermal and electrical loads.
Lessons from recent deployments
Experiences from across EMEA illustrate the growing importance of these capabilities.
In northern Europe, operators preparing for AI projects in remote regions have found that establishing local commissioning, maintenance and spare-part logistics is essential. Without that support, projects would struggle to meet timelines.
In Germany, new energy efficiency rules have prompted operators to reassess how they design for heat reuse and PUE thresholds. Service teams familiar with these requirements have helped integrate them into practical operational approaches.
In several emerging markets, organizations transitioning to higher density workloads have used lifecycle planning and digital monitoring to reduce incident rates and stabilize cost forecasts.
Across AI systems, early detection of anomalies in vibration patterns or fluid behavior has prevented several potential failures. The financial difference between a small intervention and a major outage can be substantial.
Over the next few years, data centers will continue to evolve. Liquid cooling will play a larger role in new builds. Heat reuse schemes are expected to expand as regulation matures.
Monitoring and predictive services will become expected rather than optional. Expansion into new regions will require service capabilities that can adapt to different regulatory and logistical conditions.
The future of critical digital infrastructure depends not only on what hardware is installed, but on how well it is supported. Services are becoming an essential part of resilience and a key factor in the confidence operators have in their long-term plans.
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