As artificial intelligence (AI) demand accelerates, new research from Fluke Corporation reveals a growing confidence crisis among data centre professionals, raising concerns about the sector’s ability to scale reliably.
A survey of more than 150 data centre professionals, conducted at Data Centre World London 2026, found that only 22% fully trust that their test and measurement data reflects real-world operating conditions. Confidence drops further under pressure, with just 19% expressing full trust in data accuracy during peak load or failure scenarios.
Several factors are driving this lack of confidence in infrastructure data. Skills and training gaps were cited as the biggest barrier (43%), followed by time pressures during commissioning (16%), inconsistent testing processes (11%) and budget constraints (10%).
The operational impact is already being felt. Half of respondents reported experiencing unplanned outages or major performance disruptions at least annually, with nearly one in five experiencing disruptions as frequently as monthly (10%) or weekly (8%).
Outdated testing equipment is compounding the issue, with nearly two thirds (65%) saying legacy tools increase the risk of downtime and compliance failures within their organisation.
Speed vs. compliance trade-offs emerge
The research exposes a widening gap between intent and execution. While almost all respondents agree that regular maintenance is critical to reducing downtime, only 28% have real-time or predictive monitoring in place across critical infrastructure such as power, cooling and networks. One fifth admit maintenance is conducted quarterly at most.
Adoption of advanced technologies also remains limited. Just 10% have fully implemented automation, AI diagnostics or predictive monitoring, while many remain in pilot (22%) or early-stage (19%) phases.
Pressure to deliver data centre capacity faster is also creating new risks. Forty-two percent of respondents said time pressures create occasional compliance risks, while 17% said they make it significantly harder to meet evolving connector and certification requirements.
“What’s striking here is that organisations already know what needs to be done. There’s broad recognition that regular maintenance and better monitoring are critical to reducing downtime, yet in practice, adoption is lagging,” said Mike Slevin, Director of EMEA market at Fluke Corporation. “That gap between awareness and action is where risk builds. When testing isn’t consistent and monitoring isn’t real-time, small issues can quickly escalate into outages.”
UK readiness in question as AI ambitions grow
The findings also cast doubt on the UK’s ability to support its ambitions to become a global AI leader. Only half of respondents believe the UK data centre sector is operationally ready to scale for AI, cloud and hyperscale demand over the next five years.
Additionally, just 7% believe the UK currently has the infrastructure resilience and operational standards required to support its “AI superpower” ambitions, with 28% pointing to significant infrastructure gaps.
“AI is redefining the demands placed on data centre infrastructure. With higher-density architecture and increasingly complex fibre environments, multi-fibre testing has become paramount as the margin for error narrows”, added Mike Slevin. “If organisations can’t confidently validate performance under real-world conditions, they risk building AI on unstable foundations. The challenge now is ensuring that capacity is resilient and ready for sustained demand.”
For more information visit the Fluke website.
