Macro forces such as gigawatt scaling and data center-as-a-unit-of-compute are shaping next-generation infrastructure
Vertiv has released its latest Vertiv Frontiers report, outlining five transformative trends that will define the future of data centers in the AI era. The report highlights how extreme densification, gigawatt-scale deployments, and silicon diversification are reshaping design and operations.
According to Vertiv, the surge in AI workloads and high-performance computing is pushing traditional architectures to their limits. “The data center industry is rapidly evolving to meet the density and speed requirements of AI factories,” said Scott Armul, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Vertiv. “We see higher voltage DC power architectures, advanced liquid cooling, and digital twin technology as critical enablers for gigawatt-scale AI adoption.”
“Cross-technology forces like extreme densification are driving transformative changes in data center design.” – Scott Armul, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Vertiv
Five Key Trends Driving Change
- Powering Up for AI: Transition to higher voltage DC systems to reduce conversion stages and improve efficiency as rack densities soar.
- Distributed AI: Flexible, scalable power and cooling for private or hybrid AI environments, especially in regulated sectors like finance and healthcare.
- Energy Autonomy: On-site generation strategies, including natural gas turbines and microgrids, to overcome power availability challenges.
- Digital Twin-Driven Design: AI-based virtual modeling and modular deployments to cut time-to-token by up to 50%.
- Adaptive Liquid Cooling: AI-enhanced cooling systems predicting failures and optimizing performance for mission-critical hardware.
Vertiv operates in more than 130 countries, delivering integrated power, cooling, and IT infrastructure solutions that enable continuous operations and scalable growth.
