Newmark Knight Frank’s first half (H1) 2019 Data Centers Report is driven by trends from Datacenter Hawk and 451 Research, as well as from research undertaken by NKF’s Global Knowledge Center.

Moving from 2018 to 2019, there are several trends affecting the data center market. Data center operators will need to plan for environmental changes such as warmer temperatures outside, changes in water availability and regulatory requirements for power sources and natural disaster risks. Data center vendors and providers are becoming more flexible and adopting to new technologies, however more change from growth in Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G will be required.

There are also changes related to the infrastructure and efficiency of data centers. With the increased dependency on technology, data centers are expected to function as efficiently as possible 24/7. To match this high demand, data analytics, cloud, prefabrication, multi-site resiliency and open source architectures are being applied to data centers to create intelligent, connected and purpose-built critical infastructure that responds to these changes. Invisible infrastructure is also becoming increasingly important for data centers. Providers and vendors are looking for infrastructure that is instantly available, operating and scaling regardless of specific requirements, and billed and metered in a flexible manner. Customers increasingly expect “cloud-like” consumption options for all their infrastructure needs, and providers that can offer automation, scalability and flexibility, as well as customization will stand out in the short-term and will be the most successful in the long-term.