AI-driven growth, accelerating delivery timelines, and intensifying power constraints are reshaping the global data centre market. As demand continues to surge across cloud, AI, and edge deployments, developers and operators must rethink how data centres are designed, powered, permitted, and delivered to remain competitive.

At the same time, labour shortages, supply chain pressure, regulatory scrutiny, and geopolitical uncertainty are influencing where data centres can be built, and how quickly they can come online. In this report, Soben, part of Accenture, examines the ten defining trends shaping data centre construction, investment, and operations in 2026.

Read the report to explore:

• How the race for speed is changing construction models and delivery strategies
• Which power solutions, from renewables to gas and hybrid approaches, are enabling growth in constrained markets
• Where new hyperscale, edge, and AI data centre hotspots are emerging globally
• How workforce shortages, permitting pressure, and sustainability expectations will shape the year ahead