Digital Realty Global Data Insights Survey Reveals Enterprise Shift from AI Strategy to Execution as Infrastructure Emerges as Top Barrier

Digital Realty’s 2026 survey highlights rapidly rising AI investment and shows infrastructure, data location and sovereignty are reshaping enterprise AI plans.

Rhea-AI Summary

Digital Realty (DLR) released its 2026 Global Data Insights Survey, showing a sharp shift from AI strategy to execution as infrastructure becomes the main barrier. The share of IT decision-makers citing lack of specialized infrastructure as the primary constraint on AI initiatives rose to 40% in 2026 from 9% in 2024.

Respondents expect AI spending to increase by 32% over the next year and 79% expect to deploy AI initiatives in 2026. Only 3% report no measurable AI ROI so far, while 63% expect returns within six months to two years. Some 98% expect to be running real-time AI applications within 12 months, 88% have adopted a distributed data strategy, and 92% now link data location decisions to AI plans. In addition, 86% pursue sovereign AI initiatives and more than half host AI workloads in private clouds.

Market Context

The Sep 15 ServiceFabric MCP launch had a 0.08% 24-hour price reaction, providing a directly related...

Analysis

The Sep 15 ServiceFabric MCP launch had a 0.08% 24-hour price reaction, providing a directly related infrastructure-execution record as this survey reported rising constraints while enterprises operationalized AI.

Key Figures

Survey respondents: 2,131 IT decision-makers Infrastructure constraint: 40% vs. 9% Expected AI spending increase: 32% +5 more

Survey respondents

2,131 IT decision-makers

2026 Global Data Insights Survey across 19 countries

Infrastructure constraint

40% vs. 9%

Respondents identifying specialized infrastructure as the primary AI constraint, 2026 vs. 2024

Expected AI spending increase

32%

Expected increase over the next year

Expected AI deployment

79%

Respondents expecting to deploy AI initiatives in 2026

Real-time AI applications

98%

Respondents expecting to run real-time AI applications within 12 months

Distributed data strategy

88%

Respondents reporting adoption of a distributed data strategy

Data location tied to AI plans

92% vs. 73%

Respondents tying data location decisions directly to AI plans, 2026 vs. 2024

Sovereign AI initiatives

86%

Respondents whose organizations are pursuing sovereign AI initiatives

Previous AI Reports

3 past events · Latest: Sep 15

Same Type 3 events

1. Sep 15

   AI infrastructure launch

   24h Move

   +0.1%

   ServiceFabric MCP added AI-native programmable control across interconnected data centers

2. Feb 25

   AI infrastructure expansion

   24h Move

   +0.8%

   Innovation labs expanded to validate AI and hybrid cloud deployments

3. Nov 03

   AI infrastructure collaboration

   24h Move

   -2.1%

   NVIDIA collaboration focused on liquid cooling and high-density AI facilities

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

roi, data sovereignty, low-latency connectivity, private cloud

4 terms

roi financial

"report seeing no measurable return on investment (ROI)"

Return on investment (ROI) measures how much money an investor makes or loses relative to the amount they put in, expressed as a percentage. It helps compare the efficiency of different investments—like checking which of several gardens produced the most fruit for the seeds planted—so investors can decide which opportunities deliver the best payoff for the risk and capital they commit.

View in glossary

data sovereignty regulatory

"balancing performance, governance, data sovereignty and cost control"

Data sovereignty is the principle that digital information is subject to the laws and control of the country or entity where it is stored or processed. For investors, it matters because where data lives affects a company's legal obligations, costs, ability to sell services across borders, and exposure to government access or restrictions — like owning a house that must follow the rules of the town it sits in.

low-latency connectivity technical

"demand for low-latency connectivity and resilient infrastructure"

Low-latency connectivity means a network link that transmits data with very little delay, so information arrives nearly instantaneously. For investors this matters because faster data feeds and order execution can reduce the chance of missed prices, lower trading costs and slippage, and provide a measurable edge in fast-moving markets — like having a courier who delivers messages seconds faster than everyone else.

private cloud technical

"host AI workloads in private cloud environments"

A private cloud is a computing environment reserved for a single organization, where servers, storage and software are dedicated rather than shared with other companies. Think of it as a private utility or fenced yard for a business’s data and applications, offering greater control, security and customization. Investors watch private-cloud use because it affects costs, capital spending, regulatory risk and how quickly a company can scale or launch new products.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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New global research finds infrastructure constraints have surged more than fourfold since 2024 as enterprises race to operationalize AI

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), the world’s largest cloud- and carrier-neutral data center platform, today released findings from its 2026 Global Data Insights Survey (GDIS), which indicate that enterprises are increasingly facing infrastructure and governance challenges as they accelerate AI investment and deployment.

The research, based on responses from 2,131 IT decision-makers across 19 countries, found that 40% of IT decision-makers now identify lack of specialized infrastructure as the primary constraint on AI initiatives, a more than fourfold increase from just 9% in 2024. The figures underscore how rapidly enterprise priorities have shifted from AI strategy to AI execution. At the same time, enterprises are accelerating investment in AI and increasingly focusing on how to operationalize it at scale while balancing performance, governance, data sovereignty and cost control.

Respondents expect AI spending to increase by 32% over the next year and 79% expect to deploy AI initiatives in 2026. This comes as 3% of respondents report seeing no measurable return on investment (ROI) on investment from their AI initiatives and nearly two thirds (63%) expect to see returns within the next six months to two years.

98% percent of respondents expect to be running real-time AI applications within the next 12 months, which is expected to increase demand for low-latency connectivity and resilient infrastructure. As organizations move data and compute closer to business operations, 88% have adopted a distributed data strategy and 92% now tie data location decisions directly to AI plans, up from 73% in 2024. This reflects growing recognition that AI performance, governance and cost efficiency may depend increasingly on where data and infrastructure reside.

The survey also shows that concerns around data control and compliance are reshaping AI strategies globally. The majority (86%) of respondents say their organizations are pursuing sovereign AI initiatives, reflecting growing demand for greater control over where data and AI workloads reside. At the same time, more than 50% of respondents say their organizations now host AI workloads in private cloud environments, highlighting the growing importance of private AI architectures designed to support stronger governance, security and operational control.

“As organizations move decisively from strategy to execution, one factor emerges above all others as the determinant of success: infrastructure. Legacy data centers, built for a different era, cannot on their own meet emerging requirements for performance, compliance, scale, and security. The infrastructure beneath AI is now the gatekeeper between promise and payoff, and organizations that recognize this will be the ones who lead,” said Colin McLean, Chief Revenue Officer at Digital Realty.

The full report is available at Global Data Insights Survey | Digital Realty.

Methodology
The 2026 Global Data Insights Survey surveyed 2,131 IT decision-makers across 19 countries and eleven industries, including financial services, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, travel, transportation and logistics, business and professional services, energy and utilities, and media and entertainment. Respondents represented organizations with between 500 and more than 10,000 employees.

About Digital Realty
Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL®, the company’s global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx®) solution methodology for powering innovation, from cloud and digital transformation to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected data communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 55+ metros across 30+ countries on six continents. To learn more about Digital Realty, please visit digitalrealty.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

For Additional Information

Media Contacts
Helen Bleasdale
Digital Realty
+1 (737) 267-6822
hcbleasdale@digitalrealty.com

Investor Relations
Jordan Sadler / Jim Huseby
Digital Realty
+1 (737) 281-0101
InvestorRelations@digitalrealty.com

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially, including statements related to AI adoption, AI infrastructure demand, customer demand, expected customer benefits, PlatformDIGITAL®, data location strategies, Digital Realty’s strategy and the expected results or impact of the Global Data Insights Survey. For a list and description of risks and uncertainties, please see the company’s reports and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What is the scope and methodology of Digital Realty’s 2026 Global Data Insights Survey?

The 2026 Global Data Insights Survey collected responses from 2,131 IT decision-makers across 19 countries and eleven industries, including financial services, manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, travel, transportation and logistics, business and professional services, energy and utilities, and media and entertainment. Respondents represented organizations with between 500 and more than 10,000 employees.

How can readers access the full 2026 Global Data Insights Survey report?

The company states that the full report is available on its website under the title Global Data Insights Survey | Digital Realty.

What infrastructure themes does Digital Realty emphasize in relation to AI execution?

Digital Realty highlights that legacy data centers may not meet emerging requirements for AI performance, compliance, scale and security. In the company’s view, the underlying infrastructure has become the “gatekeeper between promise and payoff” for AI as organizations move from strategy to execution.