Connect | London // Debate: Can operational and IT control truly unify, or are we chasing a myth?

As data centers scale and AI drives unprecedented operational complexity, the long‑standing split between facility management and digital systems is becoming a constraint. Manual, siloed models struggle to manage power, efficiency, and resilience at high density, raising the question of whether a unified control layer is now essential. The real issue is not ideology but capability: who builds it, who runs it, and what value it actually delivers.

This session will explore:

• What a credible unified‑operations architecture looks like, and who is responsible for delivering it 
• Whether AI‑driven control is a practical tool or an operational risk in 2026, and where human oversight remains non‑negotiable
• Whether unified management can deliver measurable gains in efficiency, resilience, and cost