Artificial intelligence is exploding, power grids are aging, and ‘plug-and-play’ site selection is fast becoming a relic of the past. Our latest Trend Report, Powering the Data Centres of the Future, traces how these forces are colliding – and what operators can do to stay ahead.

Inside this report, we map the twin pressures of surging AI demand and creaking infrastructure. The International Energy Agency is sounding the alarm that data centre electricity use is beginning to strain grids across the globe, including in areas such as Dublin and Amsterdam where 10% of all electricity is consumed by data centres. There are fears that this phenomenom could spread further, especially when a single AI-optimised campus might draw 100MW – the annual power of 100,000 homes – and this comes despite many urban grids still relying on kit installed decades ago.

So how do you build or retrofit facilities that can ride out volatile renewables, tougher regulation and soaring rack densities? We spoke with experts from Schneider Electric, Clean Energy Capital, AVK-SEG and more to find out.

In this report you’ll discover:

• Why the grid is groaning – from the Heathrow substation fire to seven-year connection queues, we highlight the weak links operators must plan around.
• Hybrid power strategies that work now – on-site solar, gas turbines, batteries, microgrids and (looking ahead) small modular reactors.
• The real cost curve – why a greenfield build now runs to £5.5–£9.5 million per megawatt of IT load, and how smart phasing can protect speed-to-market.
• Regulatory headwinds – how the EU AI Act’s energy efficiency clauses, tighter NOx limits and potential GDPR overhaul could reshape design choices.
• Inside-the-fence innovation – prefabricated power modules, silicon-carbide UPS electronics hitting 97%+ efficiency, lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, and direct-to-chip liquid cooling.
• Action plans for existing sites – strategic upgrades that add capacity without a rip-and-replace, from modular UPS to grid-interactive demand response.

Additionally, Riello’s Technical Services Director, Jason Yates, has shared exclusive advice on how the next generation of ultra-high efficiency modular UPS can help data centres balance reliability with sustainability as demand booms due to the era of generative AI.

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