Traditional data centres are ‘not fit for purpose’ and must evolve to future-proof businesses that are ramping up their AI workloads, according to new research from Lenovo.

The consumer tech giant’s latest report, Data Center of the Future, found nearly half (46%) of EMEA region IT leaders said existing data centre designs do not support either energy needs.

Polling 250 IT and C-level decision makers, Lenovo found a sharp disconnect between tech ambitions and today’s data centre architecture, with 90% expecting AI to rapidly increase data usage, but only 41% are ready to integrate this efficiently under current setups.

Added to that, with questions about AI’s appetite for energy growing, 92% of IT leaders are searching for greener tech partners that can help in reducing their carbon footprint, but less than half (46%) believe their current data centres can support these sustainability goals.

Lenovo said that this gap underscores the growing environmental pressures of AI, automation and exponential data growth, with traditional cooling systems, such as air cooling, struggling to balance efficiency, cost and carbon reduction.

Traditional designs are also falling far short of meeting the spike in demand around data sovereignty, with 99% of IT leaders saying that how data is collected, stored and processed will become increasingly important over the next five years.

Currently, many firms rely on data centres outside of their own region or control, but with compliance and regulation becoming more demanding and complex, where data resides will dictate future infrastructure strategy, moving from a technical detail to a board-level priority.

These pressures could force a radical rethink of future data centre design, with Lenovo presenting some eyebrow-raising concepts.

One, dubbed the ‘Floating Cloud’, involves a data centre hoisted to an altitude of up to 18 miles above the earth, well out of reach of commercial aircraft, providing 24/7 energy from solar power, and pressurised closed liquid cooling loops to prevent air pollution.

Another, the ‘Data Centre Bunker’, would see disused tunnels, bunkers, and transport systems home to vast underground systems, minimising the need for land space to increase capacity, but allowing for setup in central locations with lower impact, with naturally efficient heat management systems. 

“As architects and engineers, we have a responsibility to make data centres better, not just bigger,” said James Cheung, partner at architecture firm Mamou-Mani, which partnered with Lenovo on the designs.

“The Data Center of the Future project combines the evolving needs of businesses with practical pathways, from reusing mines and bunkers to high-altitude cloud modules, urban data villages, and data spas that pair server heat with public amenities.

“While we don’t have a crystal ball to show exactly what the future holds for data centres, this playbook provides a glimpse of concepts that could move from ideas to pilots, faster and with less risk.”

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While these ‘future-proof’ designs might meet tomorrow’s challenges, today’s money is sticking with more conventional builds.

In Scotland, recent months have seen tens of billions invested in traditional hyperscale data centre developments, including major projects in East Lothian, North Lanarkshire, and a trio of green facilities spread across the country.

New analysis from planning and development consultancy Lichfields found that just one of these projects, sited at the former Ravenscraig steelworks, will support around 2,000 long-term jobs and deliver a £1.2 billion construction boost, contributing an estimated 0.4% to Scotland’s GDP each year once operational.

Those kinds of tangible economic returns from shovel-ready projects could prove too much to gamble on a radical shift in infrastructure design, especially given the competitiveness of the AI market.