Data management and storage limitations threaten to impact the success of AI projects in Europe, according to research among 2,000 business leaders.
Data centre, co-location and interconnection services firm, Digital Realty, has published its "State of Data and AI in Europe" report, which reports a significant rise in AI maturity within large organisations, with 85% of respondents implementing AI strategies, and 42% actively monetising the technology.
However, significant challenges remain. Many European enterprises lack the digital infrastructure necessary for both data and AI success. Chief among these challenges is data storage, with 57% of European enterprises reporting insufficient storage capacity to execute their strategies.
AI is being deployed across more locations within organisations, increasing data creation and necessitating readily available, stable data for AI processing, particularly at the edge.
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents agree that prioritising data location is vital to addressing key challenges, including storage, processing, interconnection, compliance, and infrastructure suitability.
Additionally, 57% acknowledge that their IT infrastructure must be strategically positioned to ensure effective deployments. The phenomenon of “data gravity”, where data accumulates in certain infrastructure corners, exacerbates these issues, making it difficult to move data due to network bandwidth constraints, application dependencies, and performance concerns.
Colin McLean, chief revenue officer at Digital Realty, said: “We’re witnessing a decisive shift towards using AI to deliver tangible organisational value. But this requires digital infrastructure capable of managing high data volumes, supporting AI workloads, and providing real-time intelligence.”
A shortage of computational power is also a growing concern. Over half (53%) of enterprises lack the necessary computational power to run AI processing where required, and to scale with demand. Organisational roadblocks, such as insufficient leadership knowledge or support for data-based AI strategies, further hinder progress, says the report.
